God Eater Burst: Despaired Silence
by Shade Cossack Fair
Summary: Shijima Akina, a left-handed New-Type God Eater with no voice. Let us see how she can affect the storyline of the game from her own abilities and personality. My first story on fanfiction, also featuring two other OCs later on. R&R! Couples: OC x Kanon, OC x ?
1. Prologue

**God Eater Burst: Despaired Silence**

Prologue

As I hold someone in my arms crying, I see a huge, monstrous claw raised, before everything went white.

I wake up, still in the helicopter. My uniform still looks surprisingly neat after all that tossing and turning I have been doing. I sighed inwardly to myself.

"_How long has it been since that day?_" I wonder to myself, as I touch my throat where a bandage is still covering the gash that had been dealt there.

Taking this chance to check my stuff, I looked through everything I had brought, or rather, what they had allowed me to bring...

Let's see, one Video Camera, one video set, a silver dog tag, and finally, my magnetic sketching board. I stared at the sketch board, smiling sadly. To this day this ordinary child possession still holds countless memories.

I managed to recollect myself before I could reminisce. Now's not the time to fiddle on such things, I told myself.

"Oh good, you're awake!" I heard the pilot shouting over to me. "You can take a look through the window now!"

And there it is, Fenrir, the Organization that is dedicated to ridding the world of all Aragami. What's more, I, Shijima Akina, am going to finally become a Gods Eater that shall fight for that world.

If only I knew that what I had chose and what my future choices are would bring such an impact...

(-)

(Training Centre)

I walked into a huge metal room, because that is all there is, a metal room. There is virtually nothing there, except for that huge transparent glass casing at the top of the room and that red mechanical contraption in front of me. Looking at the casing I could already make out three people behind the glass window, and one of them is already speaking to me!

"Sorry to have kept you waiting for so long", the person in the middle apologized. "Now then, let me welcome you… to humankind's last fortress, Fenrir…

"I will now test your compatibility as a member of the Anti-Aragami Punitive Force, the God Eaters."

"Please try to relax a little. You'll get better results that way." The voice reassured me as I did nothing but stare at the man speaking. "When you're ready, go stand in front of that case in the center of the room." Following the voice's instructions, I walked to the center of this 'Training Centre'. There I was, looking at the contraption again. Though for some odd reason, it was positioned unusually, as if it was meant for 'special' people.

"It seems you notice the change." The voice spoke again, somehow seeing the slight confusion on my face. "Afterall, since you are our first left-handed God Eater, we had to make some special designs to your God Arc and the machine that carries it. But don't worry, you can still wield it normally with your left hand."

I looked down onto my left hand, clenching it into a fist before unclenching it. No turning back, I told myself as I plunge my hand into the contraption, it's now or never.

Suddenly, the machine clamps down hard on my hand, and my whole body felt like an inferno beneath my skin, so much that I closed my eyes in pain. I thought about everything that had happened to me. All the joy, the sadness, the laughter in my eyes. And finally, that time.

"Kofuku!" I silently screamed, letting all my pain rush out, before it stopped and the machine flips out. To reveal a bracelet on my left wrist with my hand holding the God Arc, MY God Arc, for the first time. I tensed as I tried carrying it with my left hand, expecting it to be heavy. Surprisingly, it was light, lighter than the time I wielded a stick as a shinai!

"Congratulations." The voice spoke again. "You are now the First of the Far East Branch's 'New-Type' God Eaters, as well as the first 'left-handed God Eater'." As he said that, I noticed an organic orb-like protrusion in the God Arc suddenly sprout out a tentacle and reach into my bracelet, tainting my hand with Oracle Cells before reverting back to a normal human hand. Feeling that it wasn't important now, I ignored it.

I decided to give a few basic kendo swings with it. Step forward, Raise sword above head, Descend sword in front of body, step back, Raise sword above head, Descend sword in front of body, Repeat 4 times.

"I can see you have decent practise over some martial art forms." The voice thought aloud, impressed with my skill. "But we will get to that later. Now then.. I'd like you to wait in the room beyond that door… Don't hesitate to let someone know right away if you start feeling unwell. I've high hopes for you!" After that, I walked to the door, and beyond it, my new life.

(-)

**And that concludes the prologue, thank you so much for reading. Remember, R&R! X3**

**Oh yeah, check out my friend's art (plainon(DOT)deviantart(DOT)com/) for how Daisuke looks like.**


	2. New People

**God Eater Burst: Despaired Silence**

**Chapter 1**

-A few hours later…

(Elevator Lobby)

'_Huh,training was better than I expected.' _I thought as I walked out of the Training Centre, stretching my arms wide and thinking of the 'practice' Aragami. '_Well, at least it was better than the medical check-up…' _I thought of getting a decent place to sit at when I saw a boy sitting by the corner. He had short, orange-ish hair and was looking down, all alone. Guess I better sit there.

Noticing my steps, he turned his head to look at me. I could already see there is one eye-patch covering his right eye while the other eye didn't really show much emotion. Just as I smiled and waved back in response, the guy turned his head away.

'_The shy type, huh?'_ I deduced, seeing his gesture. Though I swore I could have seen a small smile. _'Guess I'll have to use THAT route…' _So I went up, and sat down beside, but not close, to him. I can already tell he didn't want to start a conversation right now, so I just did nothing but keep quiet.

The guy is already tensing, his face slightly twitching in annoyance. And after what seemed like three minutes full of non-stop silence, he finally turned his head toward me.

"Aren't you gonna say anything?" he asked me. Looking at him, I stared wonderously. Then reached down for my magnetic sketch board and wrote a sentence on it before showing him.

"**I'm mute, sorry. [^^;] "** I wrote apologetically and pitifully, laughing inwardly to another shy guy who fell for my trick with the same expression on his face; a realisation that they just got trolled into starting a conversation by themselves. Just to let you know, I am mute. Ever since that day- Oh wait, need to write something else down quick!

I turned the board towards me and dragged the lever, erasing whatever I wrote on it. Then I lifted my pen again…

"**It's okay though," **I wrote. **"Just having a conversation with you despite having no voice is still quite satisfying." **I smiled at him, showing my gratitude. He still had that same shy look on his face, but I can already feel that he had accepted me in his 'circle of friendship'. At least, that's what I'm thinking. I wrote again.

"**By the way, my name is Akina Shijima, New-Type Recruit."**

"Daisuke Muller Imahara, but you can just call me Daisuke." He introduced himself. "Hey, I'm a New-Type Recruit too! Never expected there to be another one so soon!" I giggled, though it sounded more like a snicker since I lost my voice.

"**Well, looks like we'll both be training together then."** I wrote happily. However, rather than my writing, he seemed to be staring at my left hand.

"Wait, your God Arc Brace," he asked, seemingly surprised by the as-huge-as-heck bracelet on my left hand. "Why is it on your left hand? Everyone else around here seems to have it on their right hand." It didn't take long for me to write my answer.

"**That's because a lot of God Eaters here are right-handed."** I explained in detail. **"Since I'm left-handed, they had to redesign my God Arc a bit for me to increase my physical compatibility with it."**

I erased what I wrote to add a few more bits of information. **"Thus making me the first-ever left-handed God Eater." **Judging by the understanding look in his face, he seemed to be taking this pretty well. Then again, it makes as much sense as to how the Aragami first appeared…

"Oh, Lindow! The Director said if I saw you, to tell you to come see him." Said a redhead girl at the desk away from us. If I remember her name correctly, it was Hibari, right?

"OK! …Don't tell him you saw me." The guy, who Hibari called Lindow, replied. He seemed to carry an easy-going atmosphere as he walked towards us. I think I like this guy…

"Hey there, rookies." Greeted Lindow. "The name is Lindow Amamiya. On paper, I'm your Superior Officer. But uh, never mind all that boring stuff, okay?" Yup, definitely like him…

"All I'm asking is that you become someone I know will have my back, OK?" As he finished, a woman stopped her walking to greet us. Why I say woman? 'Cause those are the most biggest pair of boobs I have ever seen on a girl! (Yes, I can be a lesbian pervert if I want to, so what?) Though I tried not to gawk right now.

Hmm, Daisuke's shy side is opening again. I can already see three small purple lines down his face already. Though, I seem to be the only one noticing that…

"Oh, who're these rookies?" she inquired. Thinking she wanted to know our names, I wrote a greeting.

"**I'm Akina Shijima, nice to meet you."**

"My name is Daisuke Muller Imahara, but call me Daisuke." Daisuke introduced himself, seeing my gesture of politeness.

"And I'm pounding them with all our severe rules right now, so take a hike, Sakuya." The way Lindow said it, we all know he was just joking.

"Yes, sir! Big Boss, sir!" Sakuya joked back in reply. She waved to us happily before walking away.

"So anyway, that's about it, OK?

"I'm sending you right into battle right now… but I'll be accompanying you on this mission. However, it seems our four-man choppers are all gone now, so we can only use the two-man choppers.

"Which is why I'll be sending you, Daisuke, on a separate mission accompanied by Sakuya while I shall sortie with Akina. Am I clear?" We all nodded our heads at the order.

"Hey, look at the time!" Lindow cried out, looking to the left. "We're gonna head out, guys." And so, he walked off, leaving Daisuke and I alone in the lobby.

"**Well, looks like we're gonna be going separate."** I wrote. **"Hope you'll be okay with a hottie, though."**

"Don't worry," he said, taking my concern in stride. "My shyness wears off with new people after a while. Plus, it's almost non-existant when during training so the battlefield shouldn't be any different, right?" I raised an eyebrow before writing again.

"**Okay, but becareful."**

"Heh, you too." He replied, allowing us to hold out our fists and put them in contact with each other, signifying a brofist.

Though as we depart, I can't help but think of how I'm going to write while on a mission...

**(-1st Chapter-END-)**

(-A/N-)

_And now we get to see Lindow, Hibari, Sakuya and my friend's OC, Daisuke! Thank you for all the reviews!_

_Next up, we will have Akina going with Lindow on an Ogretail mission with Daisuke going with Sakuya on a separate Cocoon Maiden mission!_

_With two missions like that, next chappie is probably a long one, so stay fresh!_

_-SCF._


	3. Ogretail, Cocoon Maidens, & Aragami 101

**God Eater Burst: Despaired Silence**

**Chapter 2**

**(Equipment)**

**(God Arc: Blade – Type 50 Auto Gun – Thick Buckler)**

**(Formal Top – Casual Bottom)**

I expected the chopper to be quite cramped, what with all of our God Arcs taking up most of the space. Surprisingly, it felt quite comfortable. Though there was still the trouble of writing while holding a God Arc to go through, though.

Looking out of the window, I see parts of the Old City passing by as we flew above it. Seeing the desolated rubble and ruin made me reminisce, or perhaps, imagine would be a better term.

"You look like you're going through something." Lindow inquired, noticing my long, distant stare out the window. "Ya miss anything back when you used to live here?" I expected him to read my file, so I just hung my head, not knowing whether this was true or not. Well, I thought as I took out my magnetic sketchboard, might as well write back a reply, right?

I put down my God Arc while in the chopper before I started writing.

"**Yes, back when I used to live in the Old City," **I wrote before erasing and writing again. **"I would always collect these old postcards and paste them onto the ceiling of my bedroom.**

"**The postcards I collect all have pictures of what the world used to look like before the Aragami first appeared.**

"**Looking at them, made me dream of what it would be like to live in those times. Too bad I couldn't bring them with me, there were too many."** I still miss those pictures by my bedside. Always had good dreams with those pictures next to me, with Kofuku…

"You know, since I'm the leader..." Lindow contemplated. "How about I do you a favor?" I looked up with a questioning look, not understanding what he meant.

"After this mission," he explained. "I'll try and see if I can get those postcards back for you. Maybe you can even show us what this world used to look like before. Trust me, with the way things are going, looks like we'll need it." As shocked and touched as I was, I knew it was impossible. Besides, with the way things are, someone would have already occupied my now-vacant apartment in the Outer Ghetto and threw them away.

"Hey! Looks like we're gonna land soon!" Lindow called out. Sure enough, the helicopter had already begun descending.

**(-Forgotten City-)**

"Boy this place has seen better times, huh?" When Lindow said that, I couldn't help but agree as I gaze at the rubble. Seeing the Old City sent a wave of nostalgia for me, though I tried my best to hide it.

"Hey Aki (Mind if I call ya that?), we're gonna start the simulation now." Instructed Lindow as I turned my head towards him, instantly banishing the nostalgia I had been feeling then. "You got three orders: Don't die. If your number's up, then get out. Lastly, hide. If you're lucky, you can catch the enemy off-guard and blast it.

"Wait, is that 4?" I chuckled to myself at the in-joke. "The bottomline is, you've got to survive. Just follow that order, and everything else will be fine." I decided to write something down just for politeness. That is when things started getting a little bit hairy.

Being ambidextrous, I have some good control over my right hand, though I am more left-handed in that aspect. But that was not the problem. The problem was getting holding my sketchboard with my left hand while still holding the God Arc. And the huge difficulty involved makes it difficult to get the words right.

So writing **"Got it."** was a long, tedious chore. The words looked quite garbled in the end since the board kept on slipping. Looks like Lindow already noticed my troubles even as I was writing it. Well, nothing you can do about that, can ya?

"All right then…" Lindow sounded a little hesitant, probably because of my writing difficulty previously shown. "Let's get this show on the road!" And then we jumped below, to my first Aragami battle, an Ogretail.

From what I can tell through Aragami coughhomeworkcough Research, Ogretails are the most common Aragami found worldwide. They are also the weakest type, being weak to every God Arc weapon except Divine, the perfect Aragami for recruits like me. We still need to be careful around these guys because, well, they're Aragami…

The Ogretail doesn't know we are stalking it right now. So all I have to do is just sneak behind the Ogretail, then take my God Arc into Predator Mode and then-

***CRACK* (Play God Eater OST: Flame Dance)**

Stepping on a twig is NOT supposed to be part of it, dammit! Why didn't Lindow warn me!

"Sorry, my bad!" Lindow called out in apology. Looks like he was the one who stepped on a twig. Ah well, we got more important things to worry about. Like dodging a leaping Ogretail!

Stepping to the side to allow the Aragami to pass by me, the Ogretail moved to leap at me again. This time though, I knew what was coming. As soon as it jumped from its tail and leapt towards me, I tried a move from one of my , I did an uppercut slash just as the Ogretail was within my reach, sending it upwards. Then I stabbed my God Arc while it was still airborne, knocking it out of the air and onto the ground infront of me. Hooray, Light Spear Cannon - minus the cannon, that is.

With that, Lindow and I moved towards the spot where it landed, still knocked out cold. Now here comes the epic part. We drew our God Arcs back and allowed the Predator Mode to overcome the Blade. (Mine looked like a Megakabuterimon because of having two jaws put together.) Then thrusting our God Arcs forward, they devoured the Ogretail, letting us gain an Aragami Bullet (I'll just shorten that to A-Bullets) and allowing us to enter Burst Mode as a bluish aura surrounded us. I felt stronger, and more focused. The feeling was fantastic. So this was what it was like for Kamen Rider OOO to use a Full Combo... Wait, got to get focused on the fight now. Just as the Ogretail got up, we were ready.

"Aki! Take it from the other side!" Nodding at his order, I ran to the back side of the Aragami, letting myself distract it. Lindow then struck, the blades on his Blood Surge spinning and ripping the Aragami's flesh to shreds. Now comes my turn. Rushing forward, I unleashed a horizontal slash into the Ogretail before turning around and finishing with one vertical slash at the Aragami's head, ending its life.

**(End Song)**

"Well, not so bad for a Rookie, huh..." I couldn't hear what Lindow said as I did the normal procedure of extracting the Aragami's core from the body. As I walked towards my kill, I suddenly feel a rush of emotion oversome me. I don't know why or where this feeling came from, but somehow, I couldn't help but feel remorse for killing such a creature. Killing, I realised, is what I'm now good at, but it still didn't justify my actions for ending its life. So, I placed my hand on the creature's head, massaging it, soothing it even though it is dead… Then taking my God Arc, I devoured its core, getting its Aragami parts for Fenrir.

"Well, that's a first." Lindow commented, making me realise what I have been doing. "In all my life, you are by far the first person I've seen feeling sorry for killing an Aragami." I looked down to the ground, ready for the impending punishment that I would receive. But instead, he put my hand on my shoulder and started patting it with a smile.

"Don't worry, I'll keep your secret, Aki." he reassured me. "Right now, this is just between you and me, 'kay?" I smiled happily, nodding once before bowing passionately. It was just as a joke though, because he immediately got my desired reaction of asking me to stop bowing.

Hmm, I wonder how Daisuke is doing right now…

**(-Around the same time Akina's mission starts-)**

**(-Wailing Plains-)**

**(Equipment)**

**(God Arc: Calvary – Leuchtfeuer – Regal Condor)**

As Daisuke got out of the chopper, he saw Sakuya staring at the huge twister that just remained spinning at the center of the crater. Well, he did say that his shyness gets dampened as he interacts with the same new person. So, he decided to walk up beside Sakuya, just to get her attention.

"Oh!" exclaimed Sakuya as she turned her head to face him. "You're one of the recruits I met earlier! Daisuke, isn't it?" He nodded hs head, trying to at least make up a reply.

"My name's Sakuya Tachibana, nice to meet you!" Sakuya introduced herself.

"Likewise." replied Daisuke. "By the way, I heard that a meteor landed where that tornado is, right?"

"Yes, that's correct," answered Sakuya.

"Wow," Daisuke wondered aloud. " That would have looked pretty cool if it weren't for the Aragami, huh?"

"Perhaps…" Sakuya giggled before replying, causing Daisuke to blush in embarassment before he calmed down quickly.

"Are you nervous?" she asked him, patting his shoulder. Daisuke replied with a nod, and tried to hide his next blush. "You need to relax, or you'll find yourself freezing up at crucial times."

'_Like now,_' Daisuke agreed silently. Suddenly, a roar from a faraway Aragami echoed throughout the area, causing both of them to suddenly look at the direction of the sound: the Tornado that spun in the center of the Wailing Plains.

"All right, I'm going to brief you now…" said Sakuya, alertness strained in her voice. **(Play God Eater OST: No Way Back, Out of my Way.)** "During this mission, you're going to take the lead. I'll be backing you up from the rear.

"This is basic strategy for teaming up with a God Eater with a long-distance God Arc, so don't forget it. And don't get too far ahead. Always stay within firing range of your backup, okay?"

"Got it," answered Daisuke, showing his attention as they looked out towards the landscape.

"Good," praised Sakuya. "You do as you're told. I'm counting on you. All right, let's begin."

"Thanks," Daisuke, showing a bit of his feral side. "Let's finish this job, pronto!"

**(-)**

After leaping down below, both God Eaters looked around for the Cocoon Maidens. Even while running, Daisuke could already feel the excitement boiling through his veins. It was as if he was never even shy to begin with. Soon, they spotted a Cocoon Maiden in the midst, stuck to the ground like a tree or plant.

"NOW!" Daisuke shouted as he charged towards the Aragami. Sakuya supported Daisuke by shooting the Cocoon Maiden with a variety of bullets, distracting the Cocoon Maiden from Daisuke. As Daisuke got close enough, he lashed out furiously. First using a series of blade combos on the Cocoon Maiden before dashing around it and using another series of slashes. The Cocoon Maiden, wanting to be rid of this God Eater, raised itself upwards showing a small, spine-like structure beneath it. Spikes ready to be launched out to spear the pest.

However, before it could do so, Daisuke's berserk-like combos interupted its counterattack, making it lie to the side and open its chest like a casket. However, instead of stopping to devour the Aragami, Daisuke proceeded with his endless assault, with one final slash ending the Aragami's life. Daisuke then proceeded to use a fast Devour, eating the Aragami core and getting its parts.

**(pause song)**

"Well, that was fast." Sakuya commented as she walked towards Daisuke, who was already panting. "…Are you okay?" Daisuke then breathed slowly to calm himself down.

"Don't worry," he reassured Sakuya. "Just an adrenaline rush. Well, let's move on to the next one…" It didn't take long for them to find the next one.

**(continue song)**

Daisuke used the same assault which he used against the previous Cocoon Maiden, except he decided to use a finisher of his own.

The Cocoon Maiden, seeing how Daiske killed off the other Aragami, decided to unleash its spikes just as Daisuke came closing in. However, Daisuke saw this coming and charged forward while opening up his shield, protecting him from the spikes. With that, he stabbed his God Arc into the opening of the Cocoon Maiden's armor and, with extreme force, kicked his God Arc, splitting the Cocoon Maiden in two. Picking up his God Arc, he devoured his kill before stopping to analyse the damage.

**(End Song)**

"Hmm, maybe I went a little bit overboard…" he thought , looking at whatever remained of the Cocoon Maiden sinking into the ground as Oracle Cells.

Sakuya, seeing that their mission was over (_'Though, for a rookie, he finished the mission faster than I thought.'_ she reflected.) called for their helicopter to come and collect them.

**(-Anagura-)**

It was nice to come back from a mission, although I found out that I got grazed on the shoulder by that Ogretail when it leapt at me. Oh well, nothing that natural healing can't fix. Besides, it's the prospect of writing messages while holding a God Arc tht bothers me, knowing how tedious it is. Daisuke is walking beside me, guess we both finished our mission at the same time.

"**So, how was your mission, Daisuke?"** I asked.

"Well, Cocoon Maidens are okay but they are kind of stuck to the ground." Daisuke replied. "So it didn't really feel as fun as when I was training against those dummy Ogretails."

"**So I take it it went well?" **I wrote again, strangely sounding like a TV Reporter or something.

"Yeah," Daisuke said before yawning a bit. "You know, since we're done with our first missions, Lindow said that we should take some rest for the day."

"**Well, I can't agree with you more…"** I managed to write before getting a yawn myself. **"See you in sunrise." **Daisuke nodded before I headed to the lift to go into my room.

**(-)**

Daisuke looked around the Rookie's Apartment, sure of everything, except…

'Which one's my room?' he asked himself. He wanted to sleep really fast, so without thinking, he went to the first room he could see and prayed that it was his room. His result, well, let's just say divine blessings weren't exactly on his side today.

For in the room, he was shocked to see, a half-dressed Akina wearing her pyjamas with her back exposed sinc e she was halfway with her top part. Well, at least her hips and legs were covered… Now one would be thinking that Akina would scream in fear and embarassment.

But to Daisuke's immediate surprise, Akina shrugged her shoulders and went on changing like nothing ever happened except with her back turned towards Daisuke. Finishing her change of clothes, she proceeded to get her magnetic sketchboard and write before showing Daisuke.

"**Your room is Room 109, to your right."** Looking to the right, Daisuke could see that his room was right next to hers.

"Umm," Daisuke tried to come up with a reply. "Thanks, and sorry for intruding."

"**It's okay, and you're welcome." **Akina wrote down forgivingly**. "Besides, I sort of forgot to lock the room anyway. Bye!"**

And with that, Akina closed the door. Daisuke decided to try and open Room 109, though rather hesitantly in fear of a similar accident happening again. To his immediate relief, the room was unoccupied and the stuff which he brought with him was kept there. Now he could rest with peace, he thought as he slumped down onto the bed, whiskig him off to sleep.

**(-The next day-)**

For an organisation that used to be a medicinal company, the beds are quite comfortable. But that doesn't change the fact that floors are much more comfy than beds. Walking up to Sakaki's Lab, Daisuke and I wondered how Dr. Sakaki's Aragami 101 lecture would play out. As we walked in, we see a new face. A boy wearing a yellow hat, white scarf, yellow jacket and baggy pants.

"Hey! More rookies!" The boy exclaimed before he stood up to greet us. "The name's Kota Fujiki. I kinda joined Fenrir earlier than you guys, so it's really cool that I could actually meet you."

"**The name's Akina Shijima, but call me Aki if you wish."** I introduced myself.

"And, mine's Daisuke Muller Imahara, but call me Daisuke." Daisuke introduced himself as well, seemingly not shyto Kota like I thought he would.

"Okay, now that introductions are done, let's all sit down so that we can start with the lecture." Dr. Sakaki stated before we went to our seats.

Confused by Daisuke's lack of shyness, I wrote to him asking why it dissappeared.

"It hasn't dissappeared," whispered back Daisuke as we went to our seats. "It's just that Kota looks like an easy guy to get along with." Well, can't argue with that logic...

"It's the Doctor I'm worried about," Daisuke answered with a cringe, indicating his still-present shy character. "His eyes somehow give me the creeps." Daisuke, what are you talking about? There's nothing wrong with Dr. Sakaki's eyes, although they do look a lot like Gin Ichimaru's.

"All right, let's jump right in." the Doctor exclaimed before he began. "What do you think an Aragami is?" Seeing our curious faces, or more like poker faces, he continued.

" '_The nemesis of humankind'_, _'an absolute predator'_, _'destroyer of the world'_; well that about sums it up. Now then, these aren't misconceptions. Rather, you can say it simply means one has his eyes fixed on the phenomena before him. Okay, I have a question, have you ever wondered how and why the Aragami came into being?"

'_From the universe being bored,'_ I thought, as a joke.

Seeing that nobody was answering, Dr. Sakaki continued. "As you probably know, the Aragami appeared out of nowhere one day. Since then, their numbers exploded. Yep, as if they were ripping right through every evolutional process." Kota yawned at this interesting lecture.

"Hey, listen. Does this lecture have a point? I mean, what do we care about the reason for the Aragami's existence?" Kota wondered aloud boringly.

"Sure about that?" the Doctor asked with his face close to Kota's head, making him scream and back away in an instant. "An Aragami has no brain." He poked Kota's head with his finger as he said 'no brain', making me giggle to myself.

"Neither does it have a heart, nor even spinal fluid." he continued enthusaistically. "We frail humans will be dead if we get blasted in the head or the chest… but that's not enough to bring down an Aragami. An Aragami is a cluster of Oracle Cells, each of which is a single-celled organism that thinks and prays on others. That's right, an Aragami is in itself a colony of thousands- no, hundreds of thousands of life-forms. And this powerful, graceful fusion of cells can't be destroyed by weapons, not the ones we have anyway. …So how on earth could you people battle these Aragami?"

"Um, let's see…" Kota seemed to have an answer. "Just keep blasting and slashing them with our God Arc?"

"Yes," replied Dr. Sakaki. "The short answer is using a God Arc, a bio weapon embedded with the same Oracle Cells is the only way to stop the fusing of an Aragami's Oracle Cells. However, this can also cause rogue cell colonies to re-fuse, and then form into a new entity." Like the Imagin from Kamen Rider Den-O.

"The best way to do would be to extract the Aragami Core, the cell colony serving as the command center." Just like the Astro Switches from Kamen Rider Fourze, though that doesn't seem to be the same thing entirely.

"But this is extraordanarily difficult to do. Even with a God Arc, we have no way to delver a decisive blow. Somewhere along the way, the people likened this absolute being to countless Gods that have been passed down around here and they started to call them 'Aragami'." As he said that, I thought I heard Daisuke 'tsk' in irritation. Probably my imagination.

"All right, that's it for today's lecture. I'd like you to refer to the Norn database in the terminal for more details about the Aragami. Understood?" After nodding our heads, Dr. Sakaki dismissed us as we went off to another mission.

"Ah, Aki!" Dr. Sakaki called my name, making me stop to turn towards him. He handed to me a package. "Here, open it."

Arching one eyebrow, I opened the package. To my surprise, there lay another magnetic sketchboard, except it looked smaller than the one I already have. There seem to be straps on it too, unlike the long strap of my own sketchboard that lets it hang to my side like a sling.

"Attach this on your left forearm with the board on your pulse, then write with your right hand." I did as the Doctor instructed. I was amazed that it could fit. I could even write easily on it with my right hand!

"**How did you know I was ambidextrous?"** I asked, writing on the new board on my left forearm, where I would hold my God Arc.

"Well, Lindow saw how you had trouble writing when holding a God Arc, so after your first mission, he sent you recruits to sleep while telling me about your problem." Sakaki answered. "It didn't take long to make a new sketchboard with the materials I have. As for being ambidextrous, take it as a lucky guess." I hugged Dr. Sakaki after he finished. That baka, sending me to sleep just because of my problems. Well, this is better, I guess. After writing **"Thank you"** I turned to leave before stopping again. I wrote something on my new sketchboard before showing it to Dr. Sakaki.

"**Dr. Sakaki, do you know what I think of the Aragami?" **Interested, he asked why. **"I think they're misunderstood creatures. If I could, I would like to understand them."** As I turned to leave, I could see his red irises on his pleasantly surprised expression.

**(-2nd Chapter-END-)**

__(-A/N-)

_Wow, didn't think I could get the time to include this. Well, here's Chappie 2 everybody. Here's hoping that it would be enough to satisfy you. _

_Well, next chappie would be another mission that introduces Soma! We will also have a mission with Kota and a Kongou! So, stay fresh, everyone!_

_-SCF_


	4. Pocketful of Promises

**God Eater Burst: Despaired Silence**

**Chapter 3**

**(-Anagura-)**

Life in Fenrir isn't so bad once you get used to it. You get to have fun, life's not boring or downsided, and you even get to meet new people. Of course, there's still the threat of the Aragami but here, people try not to think about it too much. Or at least, not let it get to their heads. Sadly…

"Hey, Aki!" Lindow? Wonder if it's a new mission or something? "You're going on a new mission!" I sighed, the lack of surprise evident within my voice. I decided to write back.

"**Let me guess, another Ogretail?"** I asked.

"Two, actually." Huh, at least that's worth more…

"**So who am I going with?"** I inquired.

"You'll be going with Soma and some rich kid named Eric der Vogelweid." Didn't think people still had money these days. Then again, I am paid Fenrir credits for my missions and use them to pay for upgrades and equipment. Speaking of equipment, after my lecture with the good doctor, I decided to equip my God Arc with Ogretail-based Equipment that I got from my previous Ogretail mission. Now it looks like an Ogretail God Arc style or something. Well, at least the stats look good. Oh wait, I'm getting off track here…

"Daisuke will also be following you since he's also a rookie." Lindow stated. "So you'll both be taught under Soma for the duration of this mission." I nodded my head, understanding the briefing.

"By the way, I could see you're already wearing your little gift there…" Lindow smilingly commented, noticing the magnetic sketchpad on my left forearm. "If you're thinking of owing me anything, then forget it. Think of it as a 'something-your-leader-gave-you-to-perform-better-during-missions' kind of gift." I laughed inwardly, taking his humor in, and the fact that I really did want to owe him. Since he said it, I wrote this down on the new sketchpad instead.

"**In that case, promise Tsubaki that you won't make your sister cry."**

"Don't worry, I-" he started to answer until he realised what I had just wrote. "Wait, hold on. How did you know my sister's-"

"**Who said anything about who your sister is?" **I wrote a rhetorical question with an innocent face. Smiling and laughing, Lindow agreed to the promise. It was a good thing he turned away after our conversation ended, because with the melancholic look on my face, I wondered. No, I really hope he keeps his promise like I am.

Hmm, I wonder how Soma's going to be like.

**(-)**

**(-Equipment-)**

**(-Clothing: Casual Top – Casual Bottom-)**

**(-God Arc: Tail Sword Silver – Ibaraki Bow – Inugami Shield-)**

Looking at the rich kid, then at Daisuke, then at the rich kid, then at Daisuke again, it made me wonder whether his shyness did wear off. Although, he seemed to hate Eric right now, what with his twitching facial expressions.

When I asked about it, he replied saying there was something annoying about Eric. I couldn't see anything about it. So, leaving Daisuke to himself, I decided to look at the outside.

And nobody spoke a word in the helicopter (didn't think Black Hawk's could fit God Arcs.)

**(-Sunken Grid-)**

Setting foot on the Sunken Grid made me think that it definitely used to be a powerplant. Well, that's evident with the splatches of dried oil that stain the ground, water and air. Hold on, is this vodka I'm smelling? And kitchen grease? Wow, guess the Aragami must have hacked this placed up so bad, even the air got hit. If that even made any sense.

I saw the rich kid coming to me. Looks like he wants to talk.

"Greetings, I'm Eric. Eric der Vogelweid." He introduced himself, flicking his hair up. "I suggest you take cues from me, and learn to battle gloriously for humankind." Ah, I could see why Daisuke doesn't like this guy, he's already furrowing his eyebrows with an X-shaped vein.

"Nevertheless, I will always protect you even if you get into any unfortunate circumstances, dollface." …the heck? The guy's flirting with me? We're on a freakin' mi-

"Eric! Above you!" Soma called out but neither of us heard him as we all turned to an Ogretail that leapt towards us, mouth open for a bite of its unfortunate victim.

All I could remember was Eric screaming in terror as the Ogretail leapt to him, ready for… its next… meal… Kofuku…

**(-)**

'What are you doing! Slash it!'

I don't know where that voice came from, but I retrieved my bearings and went forward, slicing its whole body in a horizontal half before it collapsed to the ground, dead. I glanced at Eric, thanking the heavens that he's alive (as much as I'm annoyed with the bastard), just got knocked out by his own God Arc hitting his head.

Soma praised me on managing to save Eric in time, but I wasn't listening. Looking up, I saw Akina panting with her eyes wide open. Heck, it's worse than I thought, she's not just shocked, she's reliving a trauma. Running towards her, I tried to calm her down.

"Akina! AKINA!" I shook her with my left hand, trying to bring her back. Fortunately, it did. Forgetting she was mute, she mouthed the words "Daisuke! I… Eric… he…"

"Don't worry, he's not dead, just incapacitated. He'll live." I interrupted Aki, soothing her troubles. Full of relief and shock, she slumped to the ground with her knees wide.

"Welcome to this godawful workplace." Soma started to say before introducing himself. "I'm Soma. Not that you need to remember that. Sorry to break it to you, but this kind of thing happens on a daily basis here. And that guy over there just got lucky."

Looking at Akina, who I think the little speech was for, he pointed his God Arc towards her, making me alarmed and catching her attention in the most negative way possible. "What kind of place did YOU think it was gonna be?" Having enough of this, I ran infront of Akina to shield her from him.

"STOP IT!" I yelled, putting all my anger into it. "Even if you're kidding, she's already shocked by what happened, so take a hike before you make it worse!" It seemed to have worked though, since he immediately realised his error and hoisted the blade on his shoulder and turned his back towards us. Pulling out a phone, he started to speak to it before putting it back into his pocket.

"I called for a chopper to bring him back." said Soma, with a regret in his voice so hidden I almost couldn't pick it up. Almost. "In the meantime, since Akina is in a state of shock, she shall stay here to guard Eric until the chopper comes. Meanwhile, we shall complete this mission." Akina seemed to acknowledge that, but I could tell she seemed hurt by what Soma said, even though she might have forgiven him. As we walked away, I could tell she was crying because I felt a massive atmosphere of regret and sorrow behind me.

**(-)**

I can't believe it, I almost broke it…

Daisuke and Soma are continuing the mission without us. It makes sense, me in a state of shock, Eric being knocked out, we would only be a liability. I knew crying my heart out would not change anything, but right now, it seems that's all I could do. How long has it been, Kofuku? One, two years ago? All the memories we spent together, the laughter, the work, living on every single day. Even now, I still miss those times.

Looking at Eric now, I am relieved to find him alive. Despite carrying an arrogant and superior air around him, I could tell he cared for his family. Before we got onto the chopper, I saw a little afluent-looking girl run up to Eric to hug him. Guess she managed to pass security. She cared about him so much, I could hear her yelling for Eric to not go. Even then, Eric knew he had to. So instead, he patted the little girl's head, assuring her that he will come back.

"You promise?" the little girl asked, her tone stretched with so much worry my heart almost broke. Eric knelt down to hug the girl back, tightly, before saying those four words with a brotherly smile.

"Don't worry, I promise." Looking at him now, and thinking about what I had not done in the past, I decided-

Wait, the water's boiling now. But that's impossible, Ogretails can't swim, unless. SHIT! I can't drag Eric with my right hand, and even if I could, it would be too late. So, thinking quickly, I rushed in front of Eric, just as an Aragami burst out of the water. Unleashing Predator Form (that sounds so much more fitting than Mode) I grabbed the Aragami's face hard between my God Arc's jaws, gaining Burst Mode. Then, with great strength, I threw it to my left, sending it rolling across the ground before crashing against the wall, far away from Eric. A Gboro-Gboro, an amphibious Aragami that's capable of swimming. My Rank is too low for this Aragami, but right now…

**(Play Persona 4 Arena Yu Narukami's Theme)**

'…I got a promise to keep.' I thought as I rushed towards the Aragami, spraying Taunting Scent on myself to distract it away from Eric. As I did so, the Aragami tried to take a bite out of me, but sorry, but that trick ain't gonna work again. So I leapt up, just as it passed below me before slashing the Gboro-Gboro twice and landing behind it.

Closing my eyes, I heard the expected sound of breaking. Sure enough, the Aragami now had its Back Fin broken. Enraged, it let out quick, furious swipes at me with its arm fins. Focused as I was, I dodged every single one of them before backflipping from the last one and landing far from it. Sensing its new range, the Gboro-Gboro charged its cannon, ready to fire its 3-Way Drop. I sensed the new attack stance, but kept myself in the offensive, readying myself for my comeback as I charged towards it.

Fully charging, the Gboro-Gboro unleashed three torrents of highly pressurised water spread out at my direction, one of them directly in my path. Having none of it, I raised my blade and brought it down, slashing the A-Bullet in half and letting it explode behind me as I rushed towards the Aragami. The Aragami seemed stunned, not expecting a God Eater to slash at its own attack, but it pondered too long. As I reached the Gboro-Gboro, I turned my back before changing my God Arc into Gun Mode and stuck it up the Aragami's mouth, revolving the chamber before stopping at a Spark Mortar bullet. Now it gets personal.

Holding the extra handle of my God Arc with my right hand, I squeezed the trigger, emptying every single Oracle Point I have in my Gun Mode into the Gboro-Gboro. As I did this, I thought of Eric and his sister. Looking back on what I had seen, I willed to myself, to not let Eric's sister ever end up like me. With my Oracle Points diminished, I unleashed an A-Bullet, detonating it within the Gboro-Gboro's head, launching it off and breaking its Fangs and Horn as I did so.

'I'm not finished with you yet…' I thought, switching to Blade Mode and dashing forward towards the spot where I know it would land. Closing my eyes, I thrusted my God Arc upwards, skewering its belly just as it landed here.

'…_To bring him back for her,'_ I thought, as I gripped my God Arc with both my hands. _'That's my promise! NOW DIE!'_ With that, I cleaved the Gboro-Gboro from my blade inside it outwards, letting a huge spray of Oracle Cell Blood rain upon me as the Aragami fell behind me, dead beyond recognition. Looking back towards it, I devoured it to obtain its core and parts just as I hear Daisuke calling out to me.

**(-end song-)**

**(-Around the same time the Gboro-Gboro appeared-)**

'Well,' I thought as I devoured the last Ogretail on the mission. 'That's the last of them.' I looked at Soma who was just about to give a command when we both heard a loud crash. Wait, that sounded like it came from…

"ERIC!" we both shouted at the same time before we started to run to where Eric's incapacitated body is. As we ran, I heard a loud roar in the air, signifying an Aragami is enraged.

"Hold on," I asked as we ran. "Didn't the mission file said that we only need to kill two Ogretails?"

"There are times during missions when a few extra Aragami appear and are not mentioned in the mission file." Soma answered back. "This is one of those missions." He finished that just as we heard a huge blast occur and before we knew it, we saw a falling Gboro-Gboro.

As well as a running Akina stopping to thrust her God Arc upwards into the Aragami's belly with her eyes closed. Then, holding her God Arc with both hands and opening her eyes, she cleaved the Gboro-Gboro in an almost half, letting its blood fall on her body as the Aragami fell onto the ground, dead. Strangely, I noticed her eyes looked yellow as the blood rained down on her body.

I called out to Akina just as she devoured the Aragami's core. To my surprise, she waved back happily before going back to Eric's body to check whether he is okay. Fortunately, it seems he is still physically sound.

"Aki, aren't you gonna wipe that blood off of you?" I asked her, since she still looked soaked in Aragami blood. When she looked at herself before turning towards her little corpse, she started writing down a reply.

"**Guess I got a little serious there, huh?"** she wrote on her new sketchboard with an apologetic smile. It was very hard to make it out, but her smile seemed more sad than apologetic. I decided that it was best to keep it to myself…

"I suggest you wash-up after you get back to Fenrir, with a change of clothes." Soma added, noticing the many blood splatters on Akina's outfit and herself. Suddenly, her eyes widen as she looked at her own magnetic sketchboard, which is now soaked with blood splatters, once again forgetting that she's mute as she screamed silently before rushing off to the water to clean up as much blood as she can.

Boy can that girl run fast.

**(-)**

After we got into the helicopter, with Akina now somewhat clean but drenched self, we waited as the pilot, who was also a doctor, checked Eric's vitals and assured us that he was fine. That made us all relieved.

Suddenly, Akina perked up and wrote something on her sketchboard as we entered the chopper.

"**Don't worry Soma, I forgive you."** she wrote, making Soma look away and blush a little before calming down and looked back at her.

"**Just one thing though,"** she wrote before asking. **"Has anyone ever told you that you sound like Simon?"**

**(-)**

"Who the heck is that?" both Daisuke and Soma said at the same time. Shaking my head and sighing, I wrote **"Nevermind…"** before erasing what I wrote. I guess I'm the only one who still remembers what being an otaku was like, and still live like one. Looking at Eric, I felt glad that the pilot/doctor told us that he was alive. Or else, I wouldn't have known what to say to that little girl. Nevertheless, I kept my promise. I just hope he wakes up soon…

"I… see… an angel…" I looked at Eric, covering my increasing happiness that he is alive with my closed eyes and calm smile, before raising my left thumb towards his neck.

**(-)**

"HAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHHAHAHHA!" I looked at Akina's graceful yet increasingly creepy smile as she looks up innocently happy as if she didn't stab Eric into torturous laughter. And suddenly, as I looked at Soma who had the same creeped out face like I have, we both agreed that Akina is the most scariest person we've ever known.

"What happened!" the pilot asked us.

"Trust me," I told him as we went off towards Anagura. "It's better you don't find out…"

Yup, she's even scarier than the Doctor.

**(-)**

Ah Laughing Pressure Point, I knew that would work some day… Oh don't worry, it only lasts for a few seconds. As we arrived at Anagura, I decided that maybe I should get a change of clothes; mine are soaked and I don't have any spares. Looks like its back to the Terminal for me.

Arriving at my room in the Rookies' Quarters, I instantly relieved myself of all my clothing. A shower was all I needed right now, and fortunately we were allowed private toilets as well. Showering does refresh your body and mind, but it also gives you time to think. And, thinking about what happened, what would happen if Daisuke didn't save Eric? What would have happened if I didn't keep my own self-made promise? What would happen if Kofuku-

No, I don't want to think about that day right now. Not now. Yet, I always find myself thinking right back to that day. Deciding that maybe I have been in the shower too long, I turned off the water and proceeded with drying myself. Wrapping the towel to cover my exposed body, I exited the toilet, moving towards the Terminal. Hmm, looks like I received extra Fenrir credits for managing to kill an extra Aragami, and more weapon parts. One of them being a new Long Blade. Let's see, the Fin Edge has the skill effect Frugal, and an added 49 Freeze damage. Seems useful.

Taking the weapon, I moved on to others. Clothing in particular. Looking at what I have, there seemed to be various clothes available, but I think I might have to make a few modifications myself. So, I bought the Coral Slacks, Ocean Hoodie and Flared Mini. Instantly, the wall opens up to reveal my chosen clothes. Receiving them, I proceeded to make a few needed stitching and adjustments. Huh, how long has it been since I last did one. Well, no need to reminisce. I got work to do.

**(-)**

Well, slimming down the Hoodie, widening the Slacks' leggings and replacing the Slacks' shoes with Flared Mini shoes, I looked ready to go. Wearing them made it even more comfortable, especially when I can move my body with no constrictions. I shudder at the word 'constrictions', they make me think of underwear that will hamper my movements, thus why I never wear any. Well, no need to tell anyone that, not that I don't really wear any skimpy clothing…

Hmm? Seems I got mail. It's from Kota.

"_Wow, that was amazing! Taking on a Gboro-Gboro by yourself and winning, that is just cool. Sorry to hear about Eric though, I guess you must have felt bad for him. Don't worry, I'm sure he'll come to. –Kota."_ Ah, Kota. Your cheerfulness never seizes to amuse me. Oh, the other one's from Daisuke!

"_Eric just woke up. Looks like he really got knocked out. Although, he kept asking about you. Looks like he really wanted to thank you for keeping watch over him. Though I left before he could exaggerate about it. So if you want to, you can see how he's doing in the Sick Bay. –Daisuke."_ Hmm, it seems the others are from the defense squad. All raises though, but I think I should get to meet them sometime. Maybe later.

Hmm, Sakaki sounds serious here. _"Points for beating a Gboro-Gboro in your level of experience. But I need to warn you, even with your new abilities as a God Eater, you are still prone to Aragami and Oracle Cell infection. So try and avoid as much blood splatters as possible. If you can."_ Sorry, but I don't think I can guarantee that Sakaki. Speaking of which, maybe that can be my hissatsu attack, just like the ones in my otaku paraphernalia. Hmm, Skill Burst: Reaping Blow sounds like a good one. Well, that's all I have to do here, better check on my stuff.

Well, at least my satchel was easy to wash out, and disinfect. Time to stockpile. I managed to unlock a few Snare Traps which would come in handy. Taking 6 of them, I added it into my satchel. Restore Pills are a must, so I took 10. Stun Grenades are very useful, but I probably won't be using them as much as Snare Traps, so I just took 4. Finally, I finished with 5 Restore Balls and 2 Restore Posts and a Taunting Scent. That's all I will need, so now it's time to go meet the Defense Squad.

**(-Elevator Lobby-)**

It was pretty much easy to find them. What with Tatsumi's failed attempts of wooing Hibari, like he is doing right now. Maybe I should give him a few tips from Urataros' Guide to Wooing Ladies? Nah, I'll let him figure it out himself.

Tapping his shoulder to get his attention, I asked him if he could introduce me to the Defense Squad.

"Sure, I'll gather them up." he answered back. Gathering them in a row before me, he introduced them.

First is himself, Tatsumi O'Mori, the Leader of the Defense Squad. Wields an Old-Type Short Blade God Arc. His motto: "Fight not to win, fight to not lose."

Brendan Bardell, the Assault Sergeant of the Defense Squad and a powerful God Eater for someone who hasn't been one for a long time. Wields an Old-Type Buster Blade God Arc.

Kanon Daiba, Medic of the Defense Squad. Has the highest misfire/friendly fire rate and uses explosive, radial bullets. Uses an Old-Type Blast Gun God Arc, that I find ironic since her weapon is a Cannon. Heh, Kanon's Cannon…

Shun Ogawa, Scout Sergeant of the Defense Squad. A skilled swordsman (or so I have been told) but knows very little about teamwork. Well, let's see if we can change that. Wields an Old-Type Long Blade God Arc.

Karel Schneider, Sniper Sergeant (and bishonen) of the Defense Squad. A skilled sniper but would give chase to the enemy to prop up his own status. Well, he does use a minigun… Uses an Old-Type Assault Gun God Arc.

And finally, Gina- KOFUKU! I rushed past whoever I was talking to and rushed to Kofuku. Kofuku! Are you okay? Are you hurt? I can't believe it, I'm so glad you're safe!

"Um, are you okay there?" Gina asked me as I went out of my hallucination. I noticed I had been squeezing her shoulders too hard and had been asking her silent questions, forgetting that I was mute. Shocked by what I have done, I let go and stepped back slowly. Right after that, I bowed in apology and went into the Lift without pressing any floors.

**(-)**

Damn it. Damn it all. It happened again. Looking up, I despaired as I sunk to the floor crying. Why? Why must I always react this way to every single white-haired girl I come across? I already knew it was because Kofuku has white hair. Hair so white, it was like snow. Peaceful. Shaking myself out of my own reminiscing, I pushed the button to the Rookies' Quarters, deciding to confine myself to my room.

**(-Laboratory-)**

As I went out, I found myself in the Laboratory level, realising that I pressed the wrong button by accident. Cursing myself, I turned to leave, only to remember Daisuke's E-Mail. I remembered what happened during that last mission. When that Ogretail leapt onto Eric, I thought back to that day. It still feels so long ago, our times together, Kofuku. Remembering that made me realise that I have to go check on him, even if he is fine. After all, I can't just sit around here and mope like this. I would look so pitiful thinking about it.

So, with a renewed resolve, I went to the Sick Bay. I didn't want anyone to see me like this, so I put on that cheerful mask that I have been putting on all this time. And with that, I went to visit Eric.

Opening the door, I was pleased to see that Eric was up, talking blissfully with his sister. They looked so cheerful together, they didn't even notice my prescence as I entered the Sick Bay. I waited for a few more seconds before he suddenly looked up and widened his eyes.

"Akina!" he exclaimed before clearing his throat. "Well, I'm sorry that I couldn't protect you in my… previously pitiful state. However, I am relieved to see that my wondrous hime has been unharmed." I rolled my eyes and giggled at his exaggerated theatrics.

"**Then I am even more relieved to see my prince is well cared for." **I wrote, entertaining Eric using some theatrics of my own. **"However, that is not the only reason I came here." **I knew he had been in this situation before, so he asked the girl to stand outside for a while. Asking me to continue, I proceed.

"**Though it is true that you have a resolve in facing the Aragami, it is not enough." **I wrote. **"You need to be sharp in your senses to face your enemies. And also, your resolve should not be on humanity, but your own promises.**

"**Never break them. And make sure you can keep them."** I erased what I had written before continuing. **"So promise me, that you won't make your sister cry."**

He smiled before answering. "Just to let you know, her name is Erina. And as for the promise, I had already made that when I became a God Eater.

"You must think I'm selfish. Proclaiming I want to protect humanity when I just want to make the world a better place for my sister. She always worries whenever I go on missions, just like the rest of my family. I need to thank you though, for watching over my safety. I would never forgive myself if I never came back."

"**I envy you." **I wrote, surprising him. **"You have family, people to strive for. If only I could have similar things."**

"You have someone waiting for you, am I right?" he suddenly asked.

"**Yes. However, I'm afraid she will be waiting a long time."** I wrote, careful not to reveal my secret to him. Nobody must know.

"I see. Well, the doctor said I can get off tomorrow," he started to say before he faced the door. "So before we say goodbye, let me introduce Erina to you. You can come in now, Erina!" The little girl from before came back in, shy towards my presence. From her swollen eyes, I could tell she must have cried a lot. They really are close, just like Kofuku and I were.

"Erina, this is Akina." he introduced her to me. "Akina, this is my sister, Erina."

"**Pleased to meet you Erina, I'm Akina."** I wrote to Erina. **"If you want to, call me Aki."** The girl suddenly looked up at the sketchboard, reading its contents. Then, as she positioned her face towards me, I knew she is going to ask that question.

"Why can't you speak?" she asked. I smiled before erasing and writing again, knowing the familiarity of this situation.

"**I'm… special. I cannot speak no matter how hard I try."** To prove it, I said 'Ahhh' but it came out as a raspy, wordless breath. One with not a hint of my original voice. I erased what I wrote before writing again. **"However, this doesn't mean I cannot speak, like now."** My spirits lifted, I continued on the conversation happily. Suddenly, wearing that mask seems so much easier now.

**(-)**

Walking out of the lift, I saw the Defense Squad again. I knew I had to make it up to them, so I reached them, apologizing for my actions. They instantly forgave me, for what reason I don't know. However, they were sincere, like as if my previous lunacy didn't even happen, or rather, it didn't even matter. Gina then proceeded to finish their introduction.

"My name is Gina Dickinson. Sniper Sergeant of the Defense Squad. Pleased to meet you." And it is a pleasure to meet you too. And that finishes the introduction for the Defense Squad. Better check with Hibari for any new missions.

"**Hey Hibari, are there any new missions I should know about?"** I asked her.

Checking her mission database, or whatever its called, she replied. "Yes, there is a mission called Kongou Giant that has already been assigned to you and Kota."

Asking her for the description, she responded with no question. "There are reports of a Kongou invading the Temple Ruins that is home to three Ogretails. Your mission is to eliminate them all. And keep in mind that the Kongou has low Blaze and Spark resistance."

Well, too bad I don't have any of those right now, and the Fin Edge would probably be weak against it. Guess I'll just stick to my Ogretail Equipment. Well, since Kota isn't here yet, maybe I'll do some chit-chat with Hibari.

"**By the way Hibari, what's your story?"** She looked at me with a slightly confused face before smiling and proceeding with our conversation.

"Well, truth be told, I was actually supposed to be a God Eater. I even have high enough stats to become one. However, they have yet to find a bias factor that suits me because my compatibility rate is very high. So, I decided to become a Mission Overseer for the Far East Branch while I wait."

"**I see, how long has it been?" **I wrote, asking.

"Well," she started to say, with a sweatdrop forming by her head. "A year. I joined Fenrir the same year the Defense Squad joined in." I 'hummed' in reply, taking it in. Well, at least she wasn't waiting long. I hear Kota coming through the lift, guess it's mission time. Well, hopefully he knows about the mission details already.

"By the way," Hibari caught my attention before I could go to Kota. "Kota was worried about you." I smiled in reply, telling her that everything's okay. Now, time to see Kota.

"Hey Aki! Umm," He caught my attention before pausing to think of what he has to say. "…are we heading out together this time?" Nodding my head, he continued.

"Heh, glad we both survived. That's all that matters in our line of work, right? I don't know what my mom or sister would do if something happened to me, so I've gotta watch out." Another one with a family, huh?

"Hey, by the way, you know Sakuya don't you?" Uh-oh, I know where this question is going. Still, I nodded my head as I had been on a few missions with her. "Are you two close? She's really pretty, don't you think? Good-looking, friendly, and strong… Like an Amazon warrior, how hot is that?" For some reason, I kept thinking back to Kamen Rider Amazon when he said 'Amazon'. The fact that I am currently picturing Sakuya doing that henshin pose made it so funny, I tried my hardest not to laugh since he might take it the wrong way.

"All right, I'm getting all pumped here!" Woah, hold steady Kota. Not until the mission. "Let's see who can take out the most enemies during this mission. I'm gonna show that Sakuya how awesome I am!" I was taken aback by this before accepting it as a challenge for a friendly duel. Daisuke was right, he really is easy to get along with…

As we went towards the helicopter, I can't help but feel pity for Kota. Afterall, Sakuya's already taken, isn't she?

**(-)**

As we fly towards the Temple Ruins, I was thinking that maybe I should ask Kota something important…

**(-Temple Ruins-)**

…but he beat me to it when we arrived.

"By the way, what are we supposed to do again?" Ah Kota, your lack of attention span never seizes to amuse me. I 'told' him about the mission details as we stood at the hole in the temple entrance.

"So, one Kongou and three Ogretails?" he asked before he looked outwards. "Okay, let's get this show on the road!" So, we went out to the battle field. I 'told' him that we need to search for the Ogretails as they would be a likely distraction if we start to hunt the Kongou first. As we ran, I felt the snow on my face. Huh, how long has it been since that day, Kofuku? We used to play snowballs, make snow angels, and even snowmen. That all seems so long ago.

**(Play God Eater OST: Voice of the Blizzard)**

I went out of my reminiscing to the sound of an Ogretail that we just found. Using my usual combat style, I rushed towards the Ogretail with a charging uppercut. Then with a few slashes to knock it down, I ended my combo with a Quick Devour, gaining an Aragami Bullet and a halved Burst Mode.

Wait, training said something about a Link Burst, gained when a New-Type shoots an A-Bullet and passes it to you, gaining a more powerful version of the Burst Mode. Thinking back to it, these guys aren't worth it. I guess I'll save that for later, when we face the Kongou.

Darn, Kota's in a pinch, guess I'll have to distract those two other Ogretails somehow. Seeing the Ogretail I knocked down starting to rise again, I decided to use my God Arc's Predator Form to grab it hard, gaining a full Burst Mode. Heaving the Ogretail above my shoulders, I threw it towards the other two Ogretails harassing Kota, knocking them all down. Sensing what Kota's gonna do, I switched to Gun Mode and picked a Blaze-type Mortar bullet. Then, we both emptied all of our Oracle points on the Ogretails, finishing off one of them and severly weakening the other two. Well, I guess I can spend one A-Bullet for this one. Shooting Needle Shot, I plunged holes in their bodies, making them die.

**(-end song-)**

'_Damn it. I still feel bad about killing them…'_ I thought with regret as I used Predator Form to extract the downed Ogretails' Cores and parts. Suddenly, I heard a roar coming from a huge hole in the Temple's Wall. Suddenly, a plan formed in my mind. Gesturing to Kota to follow me, I planted a Snare Trap a few metres away from the hole. And then, we waited.

Kota stood behind a pillar to snipe the Aragami in case this plan does not work. Spraying Taunting Scent on me just as the Kongou appeared. A monkey/gorilla, why am I not surprised. Seeing me, it started charging towards me. However, I knew what was going to happen next. As it charged, it accidentally stepped on the Snare Trap which I has set up earlier, stunning it momentarily.

**(Play Xtreme Dream by Labor Day)**

'_NOW!'_ I thought as I rushed towards the Kongou, devouring it before shooting the A-Bullet towards Kota. Gaining a surge of Power, Kota now has a yellow aura surround him while his God Arc glowed violet.

"YOSHA!" he screamed out before emptying all of his Arsenal at the Snared Kongou. However, the Kongou managed to shake off the Snare Trap's effects before it dodged, managing to get damaged by only some of Kota's Bullet Barrage. This does not change our plan though. Rushing closer, I unleashed a series of strikes before rushing in to cleave its Tail. The Kongou, Enraged by this, uses a fast punch that manages to send me off before I could block it.

Kota managed to refill on Oracle Points before he started attacking again, gaining the Kongou's attention. Looks like this guy can only focus on one person at a time. One of Kota's shots managed to break its face and knock the Kongou back, scarring its mask with a white scar. Angered by this, the Kongou unleashed a shot of pressurised air to Kota, who managed to roll out of the way. Moving to take another shot, I decided now was my turn to strike. Sprinting forward, I did another slash to knock it down. Before I could get on with my attack, it suddenly leapt upwards, towards the hole in the wall.

Shit, now we have to find it again. As we went off to search for the Kongou, I can't help but wonder how Daisuke's doing.

**(-pause song-)**

**(-Wailing Plains-)**

"ACHOO!" I sneezed out loud, interrupting my attempt at devouring my kill.

"You doing okay, Daisuke?" Lindow asked me with a worried look on his face.

"Don't worry, I'm doing fine." I told him as I readied my God Arc again… "Either the rain's getting cold," I activated Predator Mode, which looked like a segmented snake with three eyes.

"Or someone's thinking about me." I finished as I ate the Vajra that has been annoying us on my Cowboy mission that was supposed to involve four Ogretails…

**(-Temple Ruins-)**

Finally, we reached the Kongou. Woah, what is it eating? Ah, I'll just go pick it up and see what it is. But first, I got an Aragami to slash.

**(-continue song-)**

Devouring it and gaining Burst Mode, the Kongou roared loudly as I switched to Gun Mode and sent Kota an A-Bullet. The Kongou then started rolling into my direction, literally. Fortunately, I managed to block the attack with Shield Mode just before it could grind my face. Then, after it uncurled, I saw a moment of opportunity.

Holding the extra handle of the God Arc, I unleashed blasts of Oracle Cells at the Kongou's Face with the Long Blade's special attack, Impulse Edge. This involves using the Gun part of the God Arc while it is still in Blade Mode. The attack is short-ranged but it works like a shotgun, my kind of style.

Knocking it back, I jumped and made a somersault slash above the Aragami before landing on it and stabbing my God Arc in Gun Mode into Back Pipes. With that, I decided to use my Spark bullets and empty all of my Oracle Points into one of the Back Pipes, breaking all of them. With Kota taking aim, I leapt off the now-stripped Kongou as Kota finished by unloading Oracle Points at the Aragami before shooting a Condensed Air Blow at the Kongou, ending it.

**(-end song-)**

Devouring the Aragami, I silently paid its respects before picking up what it had been eating. …the heck? A Weak Magnet? Well seems legit that they would eat something like this.

Pocketing it, I threw my head back to look at the winter night sky. Huh, I've always wanted to look at this sky with Kofuku. Damn it, seems that everything I see seems to remind me of you, Kofuku. Deciding to stop reminiscing, I took a deep breath of fresh, winter air. I regretted doing that as the same pain in my throat that has been there since that day opened up again, causing me to grab my neck and bandage in pain, breathing in and out slowly. Unfortunately, it only came out as heavy, unbearable, and painful wheezing.

"Hey AKI! Are you okay?" Kuso, and in front of him to… Fortunately, the pain managed to clear itself away, and I can use my mask again.

"**I'm okay."** I wrote before erasing and writing again. **"Something just got caught in my throat, that's all."**

Kota didn't seem convinced but he looks like he decided against stressing it. "Okay, if you say so…" He called the chopper for me so that it can lift us off. As we walked to the pickup point, I saw a huge dome in the distance over the sea. Thinking that this looks like a good scene, I took out my video camera in its camera mode and took a quick photo of it before continuing on my way. Well, more like on my way while collecting items. Well, what can I say? I like finding treasures.

**(-Anagura-)**

Coming back to Fenrir HQ, I wondered about my neck. Maybe its time I changed the bandage, again. Stepping out, I ran straight to the lift and arrived at my room in the Rookies' Quarters. Locking the door, I went into the bathroom to look at the mirror. Darn, it looks old already. Fortunately, I know how to solve these kind of things. Removing the bandage, I used a first aid kit bought from the Merchant upstairs and took a new bandage.

As I did so, I can't help but notice the red gash on my throat, the wound that has been there all these years. That was where my voice used to be. It is not so serious now, but there are some things that never come back. Like my voice. Shaking my head, I applied the clean bandage over the wound, covering it. With the bandage matching my skin tone, it was like the wound was never there to begin with. However, that will never change what happened.

Going out of the bathroom, I checked the Terminal for more stuff. Hmm, Daisuke sent me an email again.

"_Hey, guess what? I just beat a Vajra. Though it was quite annoying during the mission since I was supposed to kill four Ogretails until this guy showed up. In the end, we had to kill it since the chopper was getting late. Well, since Sakaki called us for another Lecture, I guess I'll see you tomorrow. Later! -Daisuke"_ Wow, nice job Daisuke. Yeah, I guess I better hit the sack. Looks like it'll just be the end of another day as me being a God Eater. Heh…

'_Oyasumi, my time of now.'_ I thought as I drifted off to a dreamless sleep.

**(-)**

. . .

. .

.

_I miss you…_

.

.

.

_Kofuku…_

.

.

_I…mo…to…_

.

**(-3****rd**** Chapter-END-)**

__(-A/N-)

_Wow, didn't really expect this chapter to become this long either. Well, at least it helps to get a few pointers across...  
_

_Of course, in case you might need to know how the voice acting goes for the OCs..._

_Daisuke is voiced by Kirk Thorton (voices Jade Curtiss from Tales of the Abyss)_

_Akina is voiced by Susan Dalian (voices Naoto Shirogane from Persona 4)_


	5. Concerns of the Past, Present & Future

_Sry for the long wait everyone. Had exams coming as well as the fasting month, so couldn't get much time to do this... Well, on with the chapter!_**  
**

**God Eater Burst: Despaired Silence**

**Chapter 4**

**(-Anagura – Rookies' Quarters-)**

Wow. I really didn't expect them to arrive so fast with the packages. Seeing this, I e-mailed the delivery service on the drop-off point. There is so much to do right now. Hopefully, no one would come into my room while I check my order.

**(-The next day-)**

I didn't really have much to do today, so I just spent some time looking at more weapon parts for my God Arc. However, I realised I was short on materials so I resorted to just taking a walk. As I exited my room, I heard a loud crack, like something being opened, coming from my right; Daisuke's room.

Well, looks like it's time for some investigation… I thought of knocking until I realised that the door wasn't locked properly. I sighed. Daisuke, if you want to hide something, at least be more discreet about it by locking your door. Then again, I'm one to talk. What to do?

**(-)**

I opened the crates I received. Wow, getting them early in the morning into my room from the Den Gate was not easy. It was a good thing I asked for a crowbar though. As I opened one of them, I found my package. Corn, Granola, Medicine, it's all here! Now I just need to sign my name and-

"**Quite a stash you've got here, huh?"** I jumped up in surprise from the magnetic board in front of my face.

"Aki!" I started after I had calmed down. "At least tell me you're here!" She pointed to her throat where the bandage is with a 'And how am I supposed to do that?' face. Noticing my mistake, I apologised.

"**You're forgiven,**" she shows me before erasing and writing again. **"Now, care to explain this?"** She looked at the crates to state her point. Fortunately, no one else was out right now, so I told her that I will explain after she has locked the door. The door now locked, I calmed myself before looking at Akina in the eyes.

"This is a rather tough subject for me, so please bear with me when it becomes somewhat long." I began. She wrote saying that it was okay, and that she loved long stories. Well, here goes…

"My name is Daisuke Muller Imahara. I'm half Japanese and half German. Before I joined Fenrir, I was a 12 year old boy who found himself lost in an abandoned church. And I didn't just lose my way back home, I had also lost my purpose in life.

"However, as I wandered aimlessly, I came across a boy who was also wandering that church. He looked weak, abandoned, and had nothing but the clothes on his back. I did not know what happened to him, but suddenly, I felt myself find a reason to live again. Deciding to take the boy in, I made the abandoned church my impromptu shelter. Along the way, I found more children who were abandoned. Taking them in, my shelter became a makeshift orphanage.

"I then took up jobs, usually those that are part of delivery services or managing of supplies, just to earn money to buy food for the orphans. I would usually try to give the fresher and cleaner ones to the orphans so that they wouldn't get stomachaches. It didn't matter when I didn't have much to eat, just seeing their smiling faces was all I needed to go through the day.

"The day after my 19th birthday, there were two men in white coats and God Arc Braces outside my makeshift orphanage. I could tell they worked for Fenrir, so I asked them for their intentions. It seemed that they didn't mean any harm, but they found out I had a good compatibility as a God Eater after an annual health checkup in the city. At first, I refused, not wanting to leave the children behind to fend for themselves. However, after some explaining on their part, I agreed into joining Fenrir, on one condition: That I get to send supplies for the orphans and that a space in the Outer Ghetto can be used to build an Orphanage to house them. With that considered, I joined them after putting the eldest orphan in charge of the rest while I'm away.

"Ever since then, I have been using the money I have been collecting on missions to buy all these supplies for the orphans."

As I look at Akina, who had a look of understanding, her eyes were full of well-hidden sorrow and slight envy.

"**I see, thank you."** she wrote before writing again. "**You know what, how about I help you pack this stuff? It looks like too much for one to handle himself."**

I chuckled at her thoughtfulness. "Sure, why not?" I told her to take care of the food supplies while I take care of the medicine. As I finished packing the antibiotics, I realised there are a few questions I wanted to ask Akina as well.

"By the way," I started. "Mind if I ask a question of my own?" She bent her head to the left a bit, gesturing for me to ask away.

"Okay, well," I thought about which question to ask. "Your eyes are green right?" She nodded her head.

"In that case, when you faced that Gboro-gboro last mission, why were they yellow?" She perked up a bit before reaching for her magnetic sketchboard and write.

"**Well, my eyes are green, yes. However, if you look at it at under certain angles and lighting, they somehow look like a glowing yellow."** Huh, so that's how it is… She then put down her sketchboard to continue working.

We worked for a while before I decided to ask her something else. "By the way, you have anyone waiting for you back home?" Suddenly, she froze, like she saw a ghost from her own nightmare. It took a long while for her to regain her bearings before she slowly picked up her magnetic sketchboard and showed what she wrote on it.

"**I'm sorry, but I'd rather we don't talk about that…"** As she showed me this, her eyes suddenly changed to a glowing yellow. And with her fake smile trying to mask some sort of sadness, I decided that it was best that I don't ask that question again. After what seemed like an hour, we managed to pack everything for postage. Now, how do we get these to the hangar bay without anyone looking?

**(-The next day-)**

"That will be 2000 fc, sir." the delivery man stated the cost before Daisuke transferred the fc (which are short for Fenrir Credits) to the guy's account. As we watched them head out with the supplies that Daisuke and I had packed and sent to the Hangar Bay at night time, I can't help but look at Daisuke in a new light. Of all the people I have to be jealous about, he is the one I feel the most envious for. He has something that I used to have, something that is long gone now. I shake my head to banish the ghosts of the pasts that I have kept hidden for so long. Now is not the time.

As we walk back to the Den Gate, Daisuke thanked me for helping him through this recent trouble. Waving my hand as a 'no problem' gesture, he suddenly perked up and glanced at me enthusiastically.

"That reminds me! If there is ever a time, how about we go to the Orphanage together once it's finished?" he asked me. "Knowing you, I'm sure the children there would like you a lot!" I was pleasantly surprised by his offer. It took me quite a while to think of anything to 'say' before I took out my sketchboard.

"**Yes, if-"** I erased what I just wrote before I wrote again. **"No, WHEN we get that vacation, I'll come with you…"** Daisuke looked pleased with my answer, nodding his head as we went back to our routine Aragami slaying.

**(-)**

Apparently both Daisuke and I have forgotten that there was another Aragami 101 Lecture today. Fortunately, we managed to arrive at Dr. Sakaki's lab once Hibari told us about it.

"Well, I would have usually expected Kota to be late, " the Doctor told us as we went into his lab just as the lecture started. "But for him to be early and you two being late is a huge surprise." Forgiving us, we sat down onto the benches as we continue our day with another Aragami 101 Lecture.

"Have you ever heard the term 'arcology'? Arcology means, 'a building completely self-contained and self-sufficient in production and consumption'. Yep, that's right, this Fenrir branch, with the Den at its centre, can be thought of as a type of arcology. To put it in extreme terms, with the exception of a certain branch, should the entire Fenrir Corp. collapse, this one remaining branch will be able live on exactly as it did before, by taking full care of production and consumption all on its own. The Den has a fully equipped plant below for producing food, God Arc, and various materials." I raised my hand to ask him a question.

"Fire away, Aki."

"**That is also where our clothes and God Arc weapon parts are made right?"** I wrote.

"Yes that is correct." I wrote down another question before showing him.

"**Then how are our clothes and items we make transferred to our rooms once you make them?"**

"Very good question Akina." Dr. Sakaki responded before answering. "At first, during the first days of Fenrir Corp. we used postmen to deliver the items to our fellow God Eaters. Now with the new transport and delivery systems, we have managed to cut down on simple manpower in that aspect so that they can be delivered into your room. Like how you have experienced from your new clothes."

He then continued the lecture. "The Den also boasts a solid, defensive capacity, with an Anti-Aragami Wall along its perimeter, not to mention you top-notch God Eaters, among other things. That's the Fenrir Branch in a nutshell, a highly advanced arcology project optimized to protect humankind. But there's still one issue that plagues us, it can only house a limited amount of people at any given time. As I'm sure you all know, there has been, for some time, a vast Outer Ghetto surrounding the Far East Branch. But, the fact is, we still don't have the space available to house them all here. I'm afraid the best we can do at this time is too surround the Outer Ghetto with an Anti-Aragami Armored Wall."

"But do you think that's enough?" Kota suddenly asked, surprising me that he was actually paying attention. "I hear the armor has been compromised a lot lately."

"Well, that's why we have the God Eater Defense Unit posted there…" he answered ntil he clears his throat. "Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot your family lives in the Outer Ghetto. Forgive me for sounding so flippant." I looked at Kota in surprise. I didn't know he had a family there. No wonder he sounded worried. Then, my surprise turns into sadness. Family, huh? Wonder how long has it been since I had one…

"Oh, no, I just-" Kota said before Dr. Sakaki interrupted.

"Actually, there was another plan to extend the Den downward and build another Inner Residential Section…"

"But the Aegis Project improved on that plan and made it even safer, right?" Kota asked.

"…yes." Dr. Sakaki answered, sounding oddly distant. "At this time, most of the resources from the Far East Branch's underground plant are being allocated to Aegis Construction. Why don't we talk about that another time?" And with that, the Aragami Lecture ended, on a somewhat strange note on my part.

**(-Sunken Grid-)**

**(-Equipment-)**

**(God Arc: Voltaic Chainsaw – Quick Buckler – Ibaraki Bow)**

After long minutes of inactivity, Daisuke and I were bored. So we took a mission that involved one Gboro-gboro and two Ogretails. After taking part in a few other missions, I had enough credits to make another blade: The Voltaic Chainsaw, as well as another shield. It looks a lot like Lindow's weapon of choice, as far as the 'chainsaw' part goes…

Touching down, Daisuke and I spread out to search for any Aragami that we come across. As I went my way, I took in a few special treasures that I managed to come across. So far, I have collected one Herb Case, an Old Uniform, and a Medical Kit. Wow, looks I can trade these for some very good materials/items. As I wander around, I can't help but notice a very good piece of scenery at the Sunken Grid. Despite how ruined this power plant is, a tree still grows proudly in the centre of a well. I felt awestruck by its beauty, so moving closer, I took a picture of it. Satisfied, I pocketed my camera back in my bag-

**(-God Eater OST: Flame Dance-)**

'_Oh no,'_ I thought as I grabbed the sneaky Ogretail behind me with my God Arc's Predator Form. _'Don't you go all MGS on me, buster.'_ Grabbing it with both hands, I spun around and threw the Ogretail outside the well, letting it crash against the wall, and gaining a Burst Mode.

Rushing towards it, I dodged its 3-Way Spike before slashing it upwards followed by an Impulse Edge, knocking it back. Before I could slash it again, it leapfrogged right over me. Gotta hand it to the guy, he's quite agile. Moving to a tail swipe, blocked it before moving in to trap the Aragami between my blade and the wall. I then blasted it with point-blank Impulse Edge while doing so, ending its life.

With that, I devoured its core as I tried to cover my increasing regret.

**(-End Song-)**

As I started to look for another Aragami, I heard Daisuke calling out to me. Looks like both of us had killed the Ogretails, but neither of us had found a Gboro-gboro. As we were discussing, I suddenly thought of a good plan while thinking back to the tree.

"**Ne, Daisuke. Since there is a tree here, it probably has roots that are going right underwater."**

"Yeah, that would mean the Gboro-gboro is probably feasting at its roots." He followed my train of thought. "How do we get it out though?" Suddenly, a mischevious thought occurred to me as I looked towards the water. Gesturing for Daisuke to stay close to me, I let the blades of my Voltaic Chainsaw spin before simply dipping my God Arc into the water.

The result being, the whole well, lit up with thousands of sparks before an electrocuted Gboro-gboro leapt out of the water and shook itself, trying to shake off the pain its feeling before it glared angrily at us roared in rage.

"I… can't believe that actually worked…" Daisuke could only say before he shook his head and readied his God Arc.

**(-Play Reach Out to the Truth-)**

"Yoshi." He suddenly said before shouting out what seems like a catchphrase. "Let's finish this mission, pronto!"

Figured I should use one too, I decided to use Kamen Rider Accel's.

'_Saa, furikiru ze!'_ I thought before we both rushed to the Aragami. Using the same strategy as the last one, it tried to bite us. Daisuke blocked it with his shield while I somersaulted over it, changing my God Arc into Gun Mode and unleashing a hail of shotgun-style spark bullets upon it as I sailed through the air.

Deciding to use a stun grenade, Daisuke threw it at the Gboro-gboro, blinding it momentarily. With that, we both drew our God Arcs and devoured it, gaining a Burst Mode. However, Daisuke's seemed different. His Predator Form simply dug into the Gboro-gboro before he sliced its insides like a pair of scissors before dragging it out in three segments.

Well, whatever it did, it sure hurt the Gboro-gboro enough to send it packing. Knowing that we won't be able to catch it at this rate, Daisuke switched to Gun Mode and let SparkForks rain down on the Aragami, halting its movements. Enraged, it looked at us and fired its 3-Way Drop. We simply blocked those shots and charged towards the Aragami as the Gboro-gboro made its way towards us.

Starting off with a bite, which we blocked with our shields, the Gboro-gboro then proceeded to use its claw swipes to try and get us. Finishing its move, we went in for the offensive. Daisuke jumped before throwing his God Arc into the Gboro-gboro's lower jaw, reaching out, he pressed his weapon down and pulled it out from the Aragami with a great cleave, breaking the Fangs in the process. Not wanting to be left out, I passed an A-Bullet to Daisuke, putting him into Link Burst. With that, he fired a Condensed 3-Way Drop to the Aragami's face, breaking the Back Fin in the process.

Unfortunately, since he did it in point-blank range, the resulting explosion sent him flying through the air above me. Guess I should do this then. I knew my first hissatsu attack would not work on him. I already ran out of A-Bullets to launch him into the air. So, I set a Snare Trap on my feet, gesturing with my hand.

'_Come at me, bro.'_ I thought with a smirk. Unfortunately, instead of having it charge towards me, it charged its cannon and aimed it at my face. Before I could think of swearing, I found myself getting blasted by highly pressurized water and landing on my back, hard. Getting up with my God Arc as a crutch, I suddenly found myself gaining a few extra bursts of power before I saw the Aragami getting hit by numerous SparkFork bullets.

"Aki! Finish it now!" Daisuke called out to me, guess its time for a new hissatsu attack. Grabbing my God Arc with both hands, I inhaled deeply, before spinning the chainsaw blades and lashing out furiously. Everywhere I cut, small amounts of blood spill out as I simply sliced any visible part of the Gboro-gboro. With one final cleave, I stopped the chainsaw's spinning blades, letting Oracle Blood fall from its edges and closed my eyes. Exhaling softly I heard the Gboro-gboro roar behind me as massive amounts of Oracle Blood spewed out from its many cuts on its body, followed by the silence and hidden sorrow of death.

This is my new hissatsu attack: Hell's Seal, Demon Engraver.

**(-end song-)**

Aki devoured whatever was left of the corpse as I went towards her. Looking at how bloody and mangled up it was made me think. Even though I got to know her, I'm still surprised Akina could still act cheerful even when she cause this much damage. It's like, she is hiding something.

Shaking those thoughts out, I looked at Akina, whose back was drenched with Oracle Blood. Wow, looks like she'll need to get those clothes cleaned up quick. Even as God Eaters, we still cannot run the risk of infection despite being somewhat immune. Still, there are a lot of God Eaters who never manage to follow this rule due to the obvious circumstances when facing Aragami. Besides, due to our clothes also being woven with the Bias Factor, it further reduces the risk of contamination.

…wow, that creepy doctor's lectures must be rubbing off on me, better head back quickly. I called the chopper for Aki since she wouldn't be able to speak on the phone. Then again, there's phone messaging.

**(-The next day-)**

**(-Anagura-)**

Daisuke got called for another mission again (something about a Kongou and three Ogretails), and here I am in the Den in the afternoon with nothing to do. Well, I suppose I could go on some missions by myself, but I still don't know which one to choose… You know what, maybe I can get a chance to help with the Defense Squad on one of their missions!

However, I feel like talking to Licca right now. I always liked the engineer types in the mangas I had…

Moving into the Den Gate, I found Licca going through various routine tests on the God Arcs. Well, everyone needs a distraction. I pulled out one of my various sound recorders and inserted the morning greeting chip inside it before pressing it in 50% volume.

"Konichiwa gozaimasu!" the recorder sounded (using Tentemon's Japanese Voice Actor), making Licca jump a bit before calming down to pout at me.

"Aki! What did I tell you about sneaking up on me while I'm working?" Oh Licca, you have no idea how moe~ your face looks right now… Well, back to business.

"**Licca, I was wondering, is there anyway you can make your own customised God Arc parts?"** I asked on my sketchboard.

"Well, there is a way," she started. "However, your rank is just not high enough to do so right now, so I'm afraid you can only stick to the parts you currently have access to." Well, that clears it up on a sad note.

"**In that case, can you teach me how to manage my own God Arc?"** I erased before writing again. **"Now that I have no missions to attend, I was thinking about spending some time doing something here…"** Suddenly, she brightened up, and immediately drummed me with information on the God Arcs. Apparently, the God Arcs first started as just plain old pistols, kind of like the ones I see on average soldiers guarding the Old City back during my younger days.

Overtime, they evolved into their current Old-type Gun Mode through something similar to evolution. Wanting to find another way to cut apart the cells, they found out that lining up Oracle Cells along a blade's edge can cut up te bonds between multiple Oracle Cells. This also allows the God Arc to gain Oracle Cells from the Aragami it cuts, which is why the blade was so compatible with the God Arc. So compatible, that it birthed the Predator Form, the only thing that can extract Aragami Cores from corpses.

Along with the historical facts, Licca introduced me on some fun parts about God Arcs as well. As I went up to mine, she told me about how, like the Aragami themselves, the God Arcs are actually alive. Even now, one can see a glimpse of light coming from the eye-like protrusion on the God Arc, like a heartbeat. This also lets the God Arc have nerve endings. When I asked how they got those, Licca pondered for a while before shaking her head.

"Even now, all of us are still quite perplexed as to how those appeared. All of the Aragami God Eaters fight don't have those, despite being able to feel pain."

Proceeding with the lesson, Licca told me how to 'massage' the God Arc. Using her gloves, she lightly grabbed the handle and made a circle with her thumb around the eye-like protrusion (I think I'll call it the Arc Core). At first, things seemed well, until I realised something.

"**Hold on, how are you holding my God Arc without any problems?" **I wrote.

"Well, engineering gloves just like the ones I'm wearing are mostly made up of the Bias Factor." Licca explained. "This helps me to do maintenance with multiple God Arcs without getting hurt by any side effects." Well, that explains everything. Wanting to give it a try, I used Licca's 'God Arc Massage' trick on my God Arc. Suddenly, I felt myself becoming even more calm while my God Arc suddenly felt lighter. In fact, my senses had cleared even more. I could even hear roaring and Daisuke's screaming – wait a minute!

Both me and Licca turned towards the scene where we saw Daisuke suddenly losing control of his God Arc. His God Arc had turned into its Predator Form all of a sudden and started thrashing at whatever it could find. Kota, Soma and Sakuya are trying to stop it, but looks like they won't be able to do it without hurting Daisuke. Even if they could do anything, those jaws looked ready to slice things up. It already sliced a random God Arc Blade in half, at least the Blade part.

"No way, this hasn't happened before…" Licca thought aloud. Darn it, if someone doesn't do anything, Daisuke's God Arc would surely…

Unless, that's it!

"**Licca! Lend me your gloves!"** I wrote quickly.

"Huh? But… Why-"

"**Just do it!" **I interrupted her. With that, she quickly removed her gloves and handed them to me reluctantly.

"I don't know what you're about to do," she warned, worried for my safety. "But don't do anything reckless…" Sorry Licca, but what I'm about to do is as reckless as it gets. After putting on the gloves, I ran to Daisuke's rampaging God Arc, despite the pleas of everyone around me asking me to stop.

The God Arc was just about to eat me until I barrel-rolled to the left, dodging the hungry jaws of death. Keeping myself in a kneeling position, I stuck out my left thumb and jabbed it right into the side of the God Arc. Suddenly, it stopped moving for a few seconds, before quickly reverting back into its Blade Mode and went crashing to the ground with a thud.

"Woah, thanks Aki." said Daisuke as I got up from the ground. From the state of the God Arc, I think it would be likely Daisuke would not be going on missions for some time. Besides, he cannot lift it for some reason… Heck, it won't even budge.

Oh well, time to head back to the Entrance and see what else to do.

**(-Entrance-)**

After passing back Licca's gloves after that incident (I think I'll ask Sakaki about it sometime), I noticed Tatsumi talking with his team before he looked up and waved to me. Hmm, I wonder what for… As I walked down the stairs, I can't help but notice that Hibari looks slightly jealous.

"Hey Aki, my team and I were just talking about a mission and we're wondering if you could come." I asked for the mission.

"Well, we have reports of an Ogretail infestation at the Temple Ruins. However, people have been speculating a lone Kongou there." Well, since I have nothing to do right now…

"**Count me in…"** I started writing before re-writing again. **"I'll let you know when I'm ready."**

Going to the Terminal, I thought of the Kongou's good hearing from the database. Since the Chainsaw has a Noisy effect, that would be rather disadvantageous. I decided to use my upgraded Blade II instead. After some re-checks, I am finally fit to go onto this mission…

**(-Temple Ruins-)**

The snow still lifts my spirits as I stepped out into the cold weather. Oh Kofuku, if only you were here now…

"Aki!" Tatsumi called out. "I know the weather feels fine, but we have a mission to follow." Alright, whatever you say, Tatsumi… As we walked down the Temple Ruins, I can't help but look up to the sky. The snow is always my favorite weather. People would usually find it freezing, but for me, these temperatures are enough to soothe whatever is going through my mind. Or maybe it is the fact that I have a high metabolism that lets me give out a lot of heat…

My senses suddenly sharpened, something was amiss. Looking around, I felt my eyes focus as I took in the effects of Keen Vision 30. Just like the mission stated, I could see five Ogretails in the distance. Two were already in combat with Brendan and Kanon while the other three were moving towards the fight. Time to even the odds… Using my custom shotgun-effect bullet triSpark, I unleashed a hail of Oracle Bullets at the group of Ogretails. The Aragami, now taking notice of our prescence, charged at us. Tatsumi leapt towards them, performing a divebomb technique with his Knife II. I changed to Blade Mode as I tackled the other two.

The Ogretails I'm currently facing were still nothing but footsoldiers, so I went all out. I made a combo of sword slashes at one Ogretail before counterattacking the other one that tried to hit my back with an Impulse Edge. Then, I proceeded to continue my assault on the Ogretail, instantly killing it by eating its Core. As the other Ogretail was about to get up, I changed to Gun Mode before leaping up and jabbing the Ibaraki Bow onto the Aragami's back, emptying whatever's left of my Oracle Cells into the Aragami, killing it instantly. Devouring it, I could see that Tatsumi had already made short work of his. Before we could congratulate each other though, a Kongou's roar started sounding from Kanon and Brendan's direction.

"**We better go…" **I wrote to him, making Tatsumi nod before we went off towards the sound.

**(-Anagura-)**

"I guess you will be going on your 'date' then…" noted Tsubaki, as she saw Lindow off. "Let me ask you something, what do you think of the new rookies so far…" Lindow was silent for a moment before turning his head towards her.

"Daisuke is quite high on adrenaline when battling Aragami. Guess we should hook him up with someone who could catch up to his style." commented Lindow, before suddenly putting on a concerned face. "As for Aki, she's very upbeat and happy about her own situation. However, I have an inkling feeling that this fun personality she's putting up is not her true self." He hoisted the God Arc on his shoulder as they both walked out of the lift.

"Aki's hiding something. Whatever it is, it's eating her up in the inside. If this keeps up, well… Right now, I'm just doing all I can to make sure she could cope with it." He continued before he climbed on the helicopter. "So before I leave, give Aki these. Something I ought to have given her after the first mission." After that, the helicopter hovered away, leaving Tsubaki to stare at the postcards her brother has given her.

"I can see why she would like these…" Tsubaki commented, a small smile reaching up to her face as she stared at the postcards.

**(-Temple Ruins-)**

Well, that Kongou was quite a hassle to deal with. It was a good thing we had Tatsumi's plan, but I still can't remember what it is… As Tatsumi and I devoured the Core, he perked up.

"By the way, someone new is going to join us at the Den." Tatsumi noted. "If I'm not wrong, she's a New Type." I smiled at that. A new member, I wonder how she would be like…

**(-3****rd**** Chapter – END-)**

_Well, thanx for all the good reviews. Just to let you know, I also welcome criticisms to my story as they are very much needed for improving it.  
_

_As for the chapter, well, we all know who this 'New Member' is right?  
So, stay Fresh!  
_


	6. Oho, what's this?

_So sorry for the uber long wait everybody! I had N Level exams and had to delay my chapter making until then! Well, thanks for the views and reviews you have given me. I hope you'll be satisfied as this chapter is really long, but still the most fun for me to make so far. _**  
**

_Well, enough talk, it's time for the show (YAY!)_

**God Eater Burst: Despaired Silence**

**Chapter 5**

**(-Anagura – Hangar-)**

As we got back from our mission, I saw Tsubaki waiting for us, and looking at me. Wondering what she wants, I went up to her.

"Lindow's still on his date, so he wanted me to give you these." She spoke, passing me five postcards as I received them. "He hopes you'll like them."

Lindow, you have no idea how much this brightens up my day… I ran through all the post-mission procedures in a flash, stopping only at my room. Going in, I found the wall right next to my bed and pasted the postcards on it. The Great Wall of China, a Tiger from India, the Fireworks Display of Singapore, an Australian Frogmouth and a Camel in the Arabian Desert.

I don't know whether these were part of my collection, but I didn't care. These are records from Previous Times, and now they are good for safekeeping. Why else I am an Otaku and a Postcard collector? I want to keep as many records of the Previous Times as I can so that we can all be reminded of what the world used to look like…

I took a glance at the clock. Wow, that late already? Well, guess I'll just take a nice, long nap…

**(-The next day-)**

Surprisingly, I didn't get any dreams from my sleep. Thinking back to the postcards, which are already pasted on my ceiling, I guess it's due to a sudden happiness, for lack of a better term.

It took quite a while to get prepared for the day, but I had eventually brushed my teeth, showered, and wore my clothes. I looked at myself in the mirror before I slipped my hat on. I gazed at the long, jet black hair that's now put up in a sort-of bun for my hat.

How long had it been since I last cut it? Well, Kofuku always liked it when my hair is long and cascading down my back…

Shaking my head, I the hat on, giving the appearance of a short-haired girl. Satisfied, I moved towards the Terminal, smiling at the new E-Mails I received. Hold on, Hibari messaged me? Confused, I felt my eyebrows go up in slight surprise as I read her E-Mail.

Okay Hibari, either you're yuri and asking me out, or this is definitely a wrong E-Mail… Deciding to ignore it, I moved on to Lindow's E-Mail. Looks like details on the new arrival, a God Eater from the Russian Branch is coming to the Den, huh? Well, I guess I'll just have to let myself be surprised when he, or hopefully she, comes.

I decided to close the E-Mail and proceeded upstairs, thinking how my day would go through.

**(-Entrance-)**

Where is Aki? I sighed, thinking that she must have woken up late again. Everyone seemed a little irked by that incident with my God Arc getting out of control. Well, at least the only people discussing it right now are the Doctor and Licca.

Right now, the whole Offensive Unit including me is waiting for Aki so that we could get to do another mission. Surprisingly, we had also arrived way before Lindow, but we didn't care.

And guess who's coming through that lift again.

"Daisuke, I was wondering, would you like to go on some missions with the Defense Squad?" Well, although I had a feeling there was a motive here, I don't see why I should refuse. So I agreed.

"Well, how did that date of yours go?" Sakuya asked, and did I catch a slight hint of envy in there?

"A few unexpected things popped up, so I was held up for a while." Lindow replied, scratching the back of his head.

"So… you hooked me up with some girls yet?" Well Kota, look who has just earned the moniker; what did Aki say, 'romantically challenged'? Oh well, I guess I'll ask her later.

"Huh, right." Lindow answered. "Like you would be able to handle a girl." Though I could feel the joke in his answer, couldn't help but feel it was directed at someone here. Wait, are Lindow and Sakuya together?

"Staff Announcement. Earlier today, the 7th Unit successfully detached the core of an Ouroboros. All engineers, please come to Lab No. 5." The Intercom announced before repeating.

"Repeat. Ouroboros core successfully detached. All engineers, please come to Lab No. 5." The announcement interrupted my train of thought as I saw Licca already heading to the Engineering Deck as per orders.

"An Ouroboros?" Kota wondered aloud. "What's an Ouroboros? Is it powerful?"

Soma narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "It'll pop up if you search the terminal. Do your homework once in a while!"

"Watashi ga setsumei suru koto ga dekimasu~!" Oh look, it's Aki-

"GAH! WHERE DID YOU COME FROM!?" We all shouted, taken aback by her sudden appearance. She suddenly leapt up right in the middle of our circle, how could we not be surprised?

**(-Play ****Never More -Reincarnation:PERSONA4** - Specialist-)

Unfazed by our shock like it is an everyday occurrence, Aki pulls out some glasses from nowhere (she would later tell me that she is also a ninja) and puts it on. She then flicks the 'pen' of her large sketchboard, extending it into a rod that looks like those used for teaching. Then she starts writing stuff on her magnetic sketchboard. When she was done, she faced the board towards us and used the extended butt end of her pen as a teaching rod.

I couldn't help but notice a school teacher's vibe coming off of her.

"**An Ouroboros is a uniquely-shaped huge Aragami with innumerable tentacles and eyes that seems to be based off a spider. Also known as the Conqueror of the Plains, its body is the size of a mountain. Along with its tentacle attacks, it emits a large-caliber beam. So far, nobody knows about its origins as of yet."**

"**It is preferred that you avoid medium-to-long range combat. Stay out of its reach and repulse it with gunfire, then strike with one's sword to be safe. When enraged, its legs become vulnerable."** This I aready knew, but since this is for Kota's benefit, I didn't say anything. Aki erased what she wrote before writing again and facing the board to us.

"**The Aragami gets its namesake from the Egyptian Mythological Creature/Term of the same name. Also called Uroborus, it is an ancient symbol decpicting a serpent or dragon biting its own tail." **Now this I don't know.

"**The Ouroboros often represents self-reflexivity or cyclicality, especially in the sense of something constantly re-creating itself, the eternal return, and other things perceived as cycles that begin anew as soon as they end."** Wow Aki, you sure know a lot about these things. Just as I thought she was going to explain more, Aki put away her glasses before bringing up her audio recorder close to head level.

"Soshite, soreha kyokun no owari o shimeshimasu." Her audio played.

**(- stop song -)**

**(- play Never More - Reincarnation Persona 4 - SMILE -)**

"Well, that showed a lot more than what the Terminal described." I agree with you there Lindow.

Aki wrote something down. **"Well, I noticed the Terminal always spoke about how to fight these Aragami but it never mentioned much on its origins."** She erased what she wrote before writing again.

"**I figured that if we knew about their origins, it would help connect us to the Old World somehow. I mean come on, argue all you want, but you want to see how the Old World looked like as much as I do, right?"** She has a point, but right now, in a world filled with Aragami, such things are still quite trivial and should be left as it is. Still, I could not help but have similar desires for such a world.

"Well, I uh… really don't think the four of us are ready to take it on yet…" Sakuya mentioned, breaking us off from the melancholic atmosphere to another one.

Kota looked surprised by her reaction. "Are you serious!? Not even a team like ours?"

"One or two casualties, probably." I heard Soma say under his breath.

"**Besides Kota, Ouroboros is like a Level 27 Aragami. You, me and Daisuke are only Level 5 or something, so we won't be able to do much damage to such a high level boss."** Aki wrote, using 'Game Lingo' as she likes to use the term when she speaks in this manner.

"Hey come on," Lindow cheered us up, getting rid of the atmosphere. "If we can survive somehow, we'll get it one of these days. No need to worry about it now… Just focus on staying alive."

"You know that line's getting really old…" Well, get used to it Soma.

"Right. And I'll say it to you 'til I'm blue in the face." Lindow replied. "You'd probably head off to your own death if I wasn't watching." Soma cursed some before telling Lindow to shut up.

"Ooh, yes sir." Lindow said, playing with Soma a bit more. "Okay, I've got another date coming up, so I'm going for a hearty meal." He walked away before stopping and turning back to us.

"Oh yeah, almost forgot!" He took out some postcards and gave them to Aki who widened her eyes happiliy at their sight. "Found these during my date, so I thought I might give you some. As for you Daisuke, I had just set up a mission for you with Kanon Daiba. You can go bring in some more teammates if you want." With that being said, he walked away, going for another of his dates.

**(- a few minutes later - )**

And so, we split up for the day. Apparently, Daisuke still can't do the mission yet because Kanon was on a separate mission and even then when she comes back she would have to rest a bit before going on another mission.

As I went through my thoughts, I suddenly remembered Licca and my lack of apology for yesterday's incident. Darn, I'm gonna receive a handful for that… Well, time to go to the Engineering Deck.

"Yes?" Hibari asked when I walked to her.

"**Takeda-san, would you mind telling me where the Engineering Deck is?"** I wrote.

"It's the big door behind you." I looked to my back, wondering to myself how I didn't notice it… "Unfortunately it's off limits, so if you are waiting for someone you can just stay outside the door."

"**Oh, arigato."** I wrote before turning away. Just as I did, I turned back, remembering something.

"**By the way, what was that about dinner?"** I 'asked' Hibari, who gave me a look of confusion.

"**You sent me an E-Mail today to ask me out for dinner."** I wrote with extreme innocence. She still had that confused face before it turned into realisation, and then shock and horror.

"P-pl-please ignore that." She tried to save herself from the hole she just dug. "I didn't know I sent it to the wrong E-Mail address. J-just… Just don't tell anyone about it, okay?" Oh, you look so moe right now, Takeda-chan~… But you forget, during my day, they called me Shijima the Grave Digger.

"**Alright, I won't tell Tatsumi."** I wrote knowingly before walking away to the Engineering Deck, leaving a stuttering Hibari to become as red as her hair.

**(- a few minutes later - )**

Licca hasn't come out yet. I decided to go to the merchant for some things.

"Aki! Just the person I wanted to see!" The Merchant exclaimed. I was wondering why he did that when he took out something I never expected to see.

It was a bokken, the same make of wooden Japanese swords one would see in a kendo dojo. Now this I got to have.

"**How much for that?"** I 'asked' him. I was surprised by his answer.

"Well, at first I was gonna put 5000 fC on this, I figured that you would be the only person here who would ever use it right, so I decided to give it to you for 3000 fC." he answered me. "Plus, with all that stuff you've been buying from me, like the tailoring kit and tailoring supplies, well… Let's just say nobody has bought that much stuff from me before."

Not wanting to feel spoiled in any way, I paid him while taking out an extra 1000fC before handing it to him, 'telling' him to think of it as a tip.

I feel the weight of the bokken and gripped it with my hands, using the right left-handed tennouchi. Then, I swung the wooden sword in a normal kendo swing at a secluded spot. Yup, it seemed to be just fine. How long has it been since I last held one? Oh well, what matters is that I now have this.

Sheathing it into the mettallic end of my satchel's strap, I leaned beside the door, waiting for Licca to come out. It was a few more minutes before she finally did.

"Aki! What are you doing here?" Boy was she surprised to see me. Maybe if I charm her some…

"**Oh? Is it not wrong for a caring woman to ease the pain and exhaustion of an intelligent, working damsel such as yourself?"** I charmed her with my words, knowing that they would be hampered some due to my lack of voice but I didn't care.

Licca giggled, the expected reaction, before she replied to my charms. "Thanks Aki. And I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I don't swing that way."

…ah well. Friends it is then.

"**If that's the case, is it okay if we could go to the God Arc Armory? I want to go on a mission with Daisuke but one of our party members isn't mission-ready just yet so I was wondering if I could talk to you while doing maintenance on my God Arc."** I wrote. Agreeing silently, we walked to the Den Gate to go for God Arc maintenance.

As we waited for the lift to reach the God Arc Armory, I decided to ask her about the Ouroboros Core from just now.

"Well, it was quite a rare one, and it even seemed to be evolving. From what I could tell, it was good that the 7th Unit managed to kill it in time because, judging from the core's Oracle levels, it would have evolved into a Fallen species right on the spot." Well, that's not good. As the lift was still going, I told her about the origins of the Ouroboros' name.

"Wow," she was amazed by my explanation. "I didn't know about that, anything else?" I thought of telling her about the Vajra, but I think I'll come to that later on. Besides, we just arrived to the Armory anyways.

**(- Play Never More -Reincarnation:PERSONA4 – Reverie -)**

When we stepped into the room, we did the usual procedures, as well as the massaging. While doing that, I decided to apologise for yesterday's incident.

"It's okay, what matters is that you're still alive." I felt forgiven, but I don't think it is over just yet. The way she looked at me with my God Arc, I could tell that there is something she wants to let out, but is afraid so she keeps it inside. Matching her gaze with concern-filled eyes, I silently asked her.

"_You don't have to do it, but it is best to go with what you want._" At last, the look which I used went through to her. Exhaling, she admitted.

"It's just, God Eaters, the God Arcs. Everyday, I worry for them when they come back. They always come with bruises and cuts. Some with injuries that needed stitching and others…" I can already tell what she meant by 'others'.

"I mean, I know I do help maintain their God Arcs and they are thankful to me and the other engineers for that, but…

"What's the use of maintaining a God Arc if its user is not even here… The only other thing I can do is wait for them to come back. Wait and worry, wait and worry, 'til only their teammates come back with just their God Arc Brace and God Arc to remind ourselves of him.

"What's the use of waiting? How long should I wait? What would I do if -" Feeling pissed, I let go of my God Arc to hug her tightly, simply to give her enough comfort to shut off her negativity. A beautiful, intelligent, working girl like her should not be feeling this way. Right now, she is almost about to break, and it seems I'm the only one that could shatter her shell and reach out for her.

As I gently stroke her back, I imagine myself whispering to her.

"_Don't worry, I'm here. I will be here to listen to your shadows. To break your shell so you can see the open sky. Let it all out and fall, and know that there will always be someone to catch you._"

My silent message had finally broke through, letting her rest on my shoulder and cry her own heart out. The aura of sorrow she emits is strong, so strong, it made my heart wrench. But I hardened myself. Right now, I had to be stronger; stronger for her. When her heartful cries have finally died down, I pulled away from our hug just to write on my sketchboard.

"**I would like you to make a promise for me."** I wrote, showing it to her. When she got the message, I erased what I wrote and wrote down our promise.

"**Promise me, that every time any God Eater comes and goes to and from a mission, you will be right here to greet them or wave them farewell. With that, I am sure that they would fight to come back just to see not only you, but everyone around you."**

"I promise." She answered, smiling with ambition. Suddenly, the lift for the Hangar Bay started moving, indicating that God Eaters are arriving from their mission.

"**Look, a few are coming already, now's your chance."** I encourage her before she nodded and ran to the Hangar Lift, wiping her eyes along the way. A minute later, the Hangar Lift opened up, revealing the Defense Squad returning from their mission.

They were quite pleasantly surprised to see a smiling Licca bowing to them, saying "Welcome back." Lightening up, they all said 'tadaima' before they went on their way for post-mission briefing.

Well now that my work here is done, I think I'll go to the Training Room to practice on my kendo skills with my God Arc.

**(- stop song -)**

**(- Equipment: Fin Edge – Quick Buckler – Ibaraki Bow -)**

As expected, even though there is no change in style for kendo when using the God Arc, it just doesn't feel right. And when something doesn't feel right, there IS a change in style. And a bad one too. I sighed, it has only been a 30 minutes and I STILL haven't got used to it.

Just as I was about to practice my kendo style some more, Licca shouted out to me at the intercom. Apparently there was something she wanted to show me.

What I saw was a God Arc-sized Katana. Now how did she make that under a time of 30 minutes?

"Thank you for giving me strength, I will hold up to that promise. So in the meantime, use this God Arc Blade for your future missions if you want to." Thing is, although this God Arc Blade is similar to the Katana I have seen on some God Arcs around here, this had the closest feel to a Nodachi.

True, it is a Long Blade type Katana, but unlike the Katana I have seen in the database, the 4 metre long blade is as thin as an actual Nodachi while slightly curving to the back just like how Japanese swords do. There seem to be a metallic carving on it that is similar to how swordsmiths engrave their names on the swords they make, like Shizu for example. When I brushed my finger over the engraving, it read 'Kusunoki', in Japanese kanji. Camphor Tree, I like it.

"**I think I'll try it out now."** And sure enough, it had been very comfortable with my fighting style.

**(-)**

**(- Equipment: Kusunoki Nodachi – Quick Buckler – Ibaraki Bow -)**

I look towards the team I am tagging along with for this mission. There's Daisuke who's the 'Leader' of this team. Then there's me and Kanon. As the rest of the God Eaters are either exhausted or away on missions, Daisuke could only afford to bring us two on this mission.

"**So, what's the mission?" **I 'asked' him.

"According to Hibari, we have to exterminate A Zygote, Two Ogretails, a Kongou and a Magmatic Gboro-gboro in the Infernal Subway-"

"**Hold on, a Fallen species?"** I thought we were too low-leveled for those…

"Hibari told me that this one has just evolved and the only difference is that it is a Blaze type." explained Daisuke. "Though there is still the problem of the Kongou and the Zygote. The Kongou will be alerted if we fight while the Zygote would attract the attention of all the Aragami if it sees us…"

Suddenly, I had an idea.

"**Then how about we spar?"** I suggested. Both Kanon and Daisuke looked at me like I had grown another head.

"Why would you want to spar in the middle of the battlefield?" Kanon wondered, wanting to know why I proposed such a reckless idea.

I wrote an explanation. **"Since a Kongou is always attracted to the sounds of battle, both Daisuke and I can spar a bit with our God Arcs to attract its attention. Likely, no other Aragami would follow it, thus when it reaches us, it will fight alone."**

Making sure they understood, I erased what I wrote before writing again. **"Meanwhile, both you and Kanon can take care of the Gboro-gboro and the other Aragami. If a Zygote sees you, Kanon's bullets can take it down as it comes near while you can finish it off."** I let them take in the information just as we were about to land at the entrance to the Infernal Subway.

**(- Infernal Subway -)**

"_Saa, furikiru ze!_"

That was what I thought as the three of us dropped down into the subway. Moving to a nice spot, a long corridor of the subway, I let myself go into a stance as I struck at Daisuke. Having quite a lot of stamina, Daisuke jumped back to let the blade fall in front of him as he struck out with his Calvary Short Blade in a fencer's stab. I reacted quickly, knocking off the blade before backflipping a few steps.

I readied my tennouchi grip, pointing my kissaki towards Daisuke. The gesture making the blade click just like a Japanese sword. Deciding to let it out, I rushed forward, swinging wildly to confuse my opponent Daisuke was surprised by the attack and rolled out of the barrage. Thinking he could strike me from the bottom, I matched his idea by descending my blade quickly on him.

Expectedly, he blocked it, before he let go of his God Arc to punch me in the face. I blocked it with my right forearm, but the gesture had loosened my grip on the God Arc, forcing me away with his superior strength, just as I was about to get ready my stance again, Kanon hollered.

"AKI, BEHIND YOU!" Just as I suspected, the Kongou had heard our sparring and had started to roll towards us. Daisuke and Kanon dive rolled out of the way while I used my shield to block it. As it started to come from its ball form, I unleashed a stun grenade, blinding the Aragami.

With a flick of the hand, I sent them off. Looking back towards the Kongou, I can't help but think:

"_At last, now it is just you, and me. TIME TO RAISE SOME HELL!_"

**(- Another part of Infernal Subway -)**

**(- Play Wild War Dance Instrumental -)**

Just as we were a distance away from Aki and the Kongou, I caught sight of the two Ogretails. Nodding to Kanon, I allowed her to fire a very explosive Freeze Bullet onto the Ogretails. Though, I got to hand it to her, if the bullets could knockdown an Ogretail, much less two, right after the first hit, Kanon's bullets must be really powerful…

Rushing forward, I used this chance to devour one of the Ogretails, gaining a full Burst Mode. With this power, I rushed endlessly at the bitten Ogretail just as it was about to get up. Remembering what Aki did with her first Gboro-gboro, I turned into Gun Mode and stuffed it in its mouth.

Before I could blow it into countless gore giblets, Kanon's bullets struck me, blowing me away from the Ogretail, with my God Arc still in its mouth.

That, is by far, the worst thing that can happen in the middle of a battlefield. Wasting no time, I used the speed from Burst Mode to run towards the Aragami and remove my God Arc from its mouth. Changing to Blade Mode, I cleaved it in half using Calvary.

"Ahh!" I heard Kanon scream. I looked at her, as well as the Ogretail that had leapt at her. Before she could get bitten, I threw my God Arc at the Ogretail, stabbing it and pinning it to a wall.

Rushing towards it, I took my God Arc and used my Beast Form's scissor-like jaws to cut open the Aragami, as well as devour its core after it dies.

I ran towards Kanon who was still down. "Kanon, KANON! Are you okay?" Fortunately, her eyes opened up, and she greeted me with a smile.

"Daisuke? Wha-" she started to say before she regained her bearings. "Oh, that's right. The Ogretail. Thanks." For some reason, I had this strange need to look away from her eyes, so I stared at her hair just to prevent a staring contest, from my part that is.

"Yeah, you're welcome." God, this is getting awkward. It was a good thing I remembered about the Magmatic Gboro-gboro just to divide our attention.

"Hey, let's search for the Gboro-gboro, got it?" I said, extending my hand out to help her up. Just as she grabbed my hand, I couldn't help but feel my face warm up a bit. Must be the lava here.

We searched the whole area but we managed to find the Gboro-gboro eating away at a piece of salvageable material, separated from us by a river of hot magma. Fortunately, it was at a good range for my Cross Grenade. Changing to Gun Mode, I steadied my aim before launching my customised Freeze Bullet at it, the projectile exploding in horizontal and vertical lines of frost blue as it hit the enemy.

The Gboro-gboro roared at us furiously before rushing forward across the lake of lava to where we are standing.

"Okay Kanon, on my mark, you roll to your right. Once you do, just fire away." I instructed Kanon, who listened intently. The Magmatic Gboro-gboro is closing in now, making me count. "Eins… Zwei… NOW!" I rolled to my left while Kanon rolled to her right just as the Gboro-gboro came right on top of where we were standing. Using my Assault Gun, Leuchtfeuer, I unloaded all of my Freeze-type Oracle Bullets along with Kanon who unleashed her arsenal at the Aragami. It was a good thing I was not close to it, as Kanon's Highly Explosive and radial bullets would have knocked me off my socks.

Seeing the first sign of it weakening towards the onslaught, due to the breaking of its horn, I switched to Calvary and made a leaping stab at the Aragami's Back Fin, lodging it inside as I saw cracks from where my sword stabbed it. Using all my strength, I pressed down hard on the handle of my God Arc, making more cracks on the Back Fin. The result being a huge chunk of the Back Fin breaking off from the Aragami as I practically ripped it off, like pulling the lid off a canned food product.

Enraged, the Gboro-gboro shaked and tossed me off forcefully, crashing into Kanon in the process. It must have found its targets at a suitable position, as I saw its broken Horn and Back Fin poised to fire a Blaze-type 3-Way Drop on us. I reached for my shield, Regal Condor, to protect myself and Kanon from the Fireballs that struck us. It seemed that they were more powerful than I thought as some of the resulting flames managed to singe my hair and clothes. However, I did not see it come close to us to launch another 3-Way Drop at us in point blank range. With no time to block, I used myself as a shield for the flames.

As my raised left arm took the brunt of the attack, I could see it singing from the burnt rip in my clothes. I stunned the Aragami using a stun grenade before consuming a restore pill to help heal my wounds, but the burn did not go away. Wanting to try and finish this quick, I took hold of my God Arc, ignoring the searing sensation of my burnt left forearm, and unleashed the Beast Form, devouring the Aragami as well as using its serrated scissors-like maw to cut open the Aragami in twain.

The Aragami is still alive, but with its cleaved face, I noticed a glowing yellow orb within it. Before I could do anything, the Gboro-gboro swiped at me with its fins, knocking me away. Charging its horn for another 3-Way Drop, I was afraid that it would fire since now that the burning sensation in my left forearm is getting unbearable, I don't think I can move fast enough to deploy Regal Condor.

Suddenly, explosions that suddenly appeared on its face interrupted its charging, knocking it out. I look to my right, and saw Kanon with her God Arc raised. Her bullets must have caused the explosions.

"Daisuke, its core is exposed." Kanon noted. "Devour it while you still have the chance!" Nodding my head, I readied my God Arc's Beast Form again, unleashing it at the glowing orb within the Gboro-gboro's face, killing it.

**(- stop song -)**

It was just after I killed the Aragami that I felt my pain again, only ten times worse. Concerned for my wellbeing, Kanon grabs my left forearm to see it in its bleeding, third-degree-burned state. Out of nowhere, Kanon takes out a few medical supplies, the ones used to treat serious burns to be exact. After doing so, she removed the pieces of armor I had lined up along my left sleeve so that she could roll it up. Kanon then proceeded to wet a towel with some water from a water bottle before applying disinfectant on it and wrapping my arm with said towel.

I grit my teeth to endure the stinging pain from the water and disinfectant. As I look at Kanon using her experience as a Medic to soak the bandages using the same process as the towel, I couldn't help but notice her face. The way her jade green eyes are so focused on the task at hand and how her short, pink hair glides whenever she moves.

Not wanting to be caught staring, I turned away just as she started to remove the towel from my arm and rubbed some sort of orange-yellow paste along my arm. I expected it to sting like the disinfectant but once Kanon applied it, it felt soothing. I didn't know whether this is from the paste or the fact that I can feel her hands drag across my left forearm. Hopefully, the former.

It was when she began to wrap bandages along my arm that she starts to speak.

"You need to be more careful," she scolds me like (I couldn't help but think) a worried mother for her child. "We may be God Eaters, but you still need to look out for your health."

It was only now that I notice the blush on my cheeks, which must have been there since I stared at her and had grown redder every time I felt her hands rubbing along my arm.

"W-well, I'll try," I started replying, doing my best to not stutter. "Just don't expect me to thank you for this…" She suddenly stopped wrapping the bandages and looks at me dumbfoundedly like I had worn makeup or something. I realised what I had just said and came up with something to salvage the situation.

"I-it's just that," I started to explain, silently berating myself for stuttering again. "I always feel weak when someone helps me out… I feel like I'm not fit to help others when that happens. I'm sorry."

Sighing, Kanon replied. "Actually, you already are…"

"Huh?" I said aloud.

"You are already helping me by giving in to my care." she explained. "It is impossible for someone to bear the weight on their own shoulders because no matter what, there are always people who would want to pitch in to help carry that weight.

"Besides, by just keeping your problems to yourself, you are giving everyone else a hard time by letting them worry about you. That is why you are helping me, by decreasing my worries."

"Is that so?" was all I could say because honestly, I couldn't think of any other response.

"There!" Kanon exclaimed cheerfully. "How's your arm now?" Wow, she really did a good job. I couldn't let this off without some thanks, though.

"It's no problem." Kanon replied. As we carried our God Arcs and walked off, I wondered how Aki was doing?

**(- Around the same time Daisuke and Kanon went to search for the Gboro-gboro -)**

**(- Play Persona 4 Golden Time to Make History -)**

…the hell did I just think? Ah well, here I have a Kongou that is about ready to knock me senseless. As we rush towards each other, I somersaulted through the air, slashing at the Kongou once before landing kneeling. As it still has to turn around, I switched to Gun Mode and fired the new Mortar Bullets I ordered from the Merchant. It didn't break anything, but it managed to knock the Kongou back.

Irritated, the Kongou fired an Air Blow in my direction, but I had already sideststepped to avoid the pressurised wind. Dashing forward, I slashed at the Aragami with an ascending Kendo-style slash. I got to thank Licca for this, it seems to deal quite the damage here.

Before I could break the Kongou's face, it rolled at me, knocking me aside in the process. Darn, now my ass hurts. Before I could move in to pay it back, I heard a roar behind me. Moving quickly, I performed a Quick Devour on the Aragami that had tried to sneak up on me, grabbing it between the jaws of my Beast Form. With that, I threw it towards the other Aragami, only to have it bounce of its head like a rubber ball.

I couldn't help but think back to a gorilla being annoyed that someone through a dodgeball at his face as the Kongou became enraged by this. Wow, I didn't break anything yet… Moving closer, I threw a stun grenade at his eyes, the white-hot magnesium blinding it in close range. I then twisted around it to deliver a great chop at its Tail, breaking it apart. I then proceeded to make multiple samurai slashes at the Kongou's back. Wanting to rid itself of this pest, the Kongou did a spinning right hook at me, in hopes of catching me as it punches in a circle.

Unfortunately for him, I had already deployed my shield to block the punch. Now that he is in close range, I broke its Face with a point-blank Impulse Edge. To avoid further damage, the Kongou rolled forward, forcing myself to sidestep to get out of its way. It was only then I realised that it was just was a ruse so that it could get far enough to get away. Before I could switch to Gun Mode, I saw the Zygote charging at me with its Aerial Ace-like attack. Now come on, you're just making this easy for me.

Using Shield Mode, I punched at the Zygote with my Quick Buckler before holding my breath and my sword with my two hands. For some reason, time seemed to slow down and I could feel where I need to hit. Thinking fast, I bisected the Aragami horizontally before cutting it apart with another wide horizontal slash. I suddenly noticed a yellow orb glowing in the flesh. I then stabbed that orb with my sword before raising it high in the air, the orb now skewered by the blade. The maw of my God Arc then bites the orb that was on the blade, completely absorbing it and giving me new parts.

I looked back at the Kongou that was still running away. Not wanting to waste any time, I changed to Gun Mode and let loose hail of spark bullets at it. Soon enough, its legs buckled under the pressure and it fell face flat to the ground. I knew it would be a while before I could kill this guy, nevertheless, I slashed at its back while it was down. Soon enough, the Back Pipes broke, leaving a kind of naked Kongou to me.

Readying my sword as it got up, I narrowed my eyes expectedly at its roar of rage as it started to roll towards me again. Sidestepping, I looked at the Kongou which stopped its roll and did yet another one. I had to barrel roll to the side to avoid getting flattened. I did not notice it come towards me with its rolling attack again. As soon as I saw its ball form coming towards me, I activated my Shield and watched as the Kongou's armor starts to grind at my shield, sparks and all. Well, at least I'm not harmed. It soon stopped rolling and uncurled itself like a hedgehog.

I decided to make a stab to its broken face, the sword plunging in so close towards its remaining eye that it covered its face with its hands as soon as it crouched down in pain. I wouldn't do a final blow to anything is down like this one though. It's just not good for my consience. Letting it come back up, I readied my sword in my tennouchi grip before letting loose one falling diagonal slash to the right and a wide horizontal slash to the left, making me face away from the enemy as I finished my two slashes.

Or what had seemed like two slashes. When I had slashed the Aragami, I had actually performed Ohgi: Hell Seal, Demon Engraver on the Kongou. Breathing out and exhaling, I heard a roar from behind me as the multiple cuts I had performed on the Aragami started to bleed Oracle Blood before it succumbed to the cuts.

**(- stop song -)**

I couldn't help but feel responsible for this gruesome death. When I walked up to the Kongou, I was surprised to find it still breathing. It was then I realised that it was taking its last few breaths. Since nobody is out here, I decided to soothe the Kongou. Rubbing its face and making note of its contours so that it would calm down. When its quick-paced breathing finally slowed down into deep but weak breaths, I stared straight into its eye.

What I saw there was desperation… to live. As well as fear and sadness. I never liked those eyes, they reminded me of myself. Of what I had lost, of what I could have done… I shook them away, now's not the time.

"_Don't worry,_" I thought silently, although I knew it wouldn't hear my thoughts. "_You did your best. Now you could at least pass on, knowing that you have tried._" To my immediate surprise, the Kongou's eyes suddenly turned into a satisfied acceptance. As I didn't want to let it see its own death, I covered the Kongou's eye, but I could have sworn that they had closed on their own. Reaching for my God Arc and using its Beast Form, I devoured the Kongou's Core, already crying on the inside as I felt its breath, its last seconds of life, slip away.

Sometimes, we have to kill in order to survive. But that doesn't mean it is always satisfying.

**(-)**

No tears came out this time. I don't take this as being strong, I take it as being scared. But that's okay. After all, everyone has their fears. Walking away from the corpse of the Kongou, I held up my phone's radar to see the other God Eaters in the vicinity. As I saw Daisuke's and Kanon's health levels, I knew they had to be taking some hits, probably from the Gboro-gboro. With that, I ran as fast as I could.

**(-)**

Although… it seems that I didn't have to hurry. By the time I had neared the area, I could hear the loud cry of death from the Gboro-gboro. Ignoring the feeling of sorrow, I ran to find my teammates. Just to let you know, ninjutsu training has allowed me to keep my feet silent as I ran. When I reached there, a familiar alarm in my head made me realise what is happening and I immediately backed up behind a wall.

I usually trust this alarm in my head because whenever it starts to go off, it means that I am about to come into contact with an event scene in life. Thus, I must take extra precautions to make sure I could record this highly important scene in my head yet not be seen by the people involved.

As my hat and God Arc would immediately give me away, I took it off and turned it inside out before I put it on back again. The underside of my hat is dyed black for some reason, but I didn't care. It made good camouflage against this charred black background of the walls. With that, I put my listening skills to the test as I looked on at the scene before me.

There was Kanon taking out some medicine, especially that orange-yellow paste that was used to treat burns. As Kanon was soaking a towel with a bottle of water and some disinfectant, I saw Daisuke's arm. Damn, that must have been some nasty burn. As Kanon takes off the armor along Daisuke's left sleeve, I saw a very faint blush creeping up to his face.

Oho, now I see… So you have finally found yourself a rather impressive Social Link, eh Daisuke? Don't worry, you have my 100% support from the shadows!

Wait, there's more!

It seems that while I was thinking those thoughts, Kanon had already wrapped the wet, disinfecting towel around Daisuke's burnt left forearm. Though it doesn't seem that I am missing anything yet, so I didn't scold myself. Now Kanon is preparing the bandages while Daisuke is… staring? Yoshaa~, this has just gotten interesting. That's right, just stare at her smooth face, and those pretty, focused jade-green eyes, and those pink locks of hair that flow every time she moves.

Kuso! She's turning! Okay good job, Daisuke. You've turned your head at the last minute so she won't catch you staring.

Now she is rubbing that orange-yellow paste along his arm to treat the burn. I feel a grin coming to my face as I see Daisuke's face become even redder from the touch. It's a good thing I'm mute, or I would be squealing right now. Once she finished, Kanon washed her hands with the remaining water and started to wrap the bandages around his arm. At this point, I'm getting annoyed. If neither one of them is gonna speak, I'm going to FREAK!

"You need to be more careful," she finally spoke! Or more like scolded Daisuke like a worried parent. Nevermind, at least she said something. "We may be God Eaters, but you still need to look out for your health." Looks like Daisuke has noticed his blush and is trying to look away, hopefully not letting Kanon see the ever-growing redness on his face. Come on Daisuke, respond! Let her know you're at least listening.

"W-well, I'll try," he started replying, doing his best to not stutter. "Just don't expect me to thank you for this…"

I facepalmed.

Daisuke you baka, that is not how you should respond to a lady, ESPECIALLY one who's a worried Medic like Kanon! I know I should probably let you off since that is something a typical male tsundere says, but that is just- Just say something! Anything to save yourself!

"I-it's just that," he started to explain, while hopefully saving himself. "I always feel weak when someone helps me out… I feel like I'm not fit to help others when that happens. I'm sorry." Ah… Okay, good. At least you've got her smiling now instead of that befuddled expression on her face. Another okay, she's continuing to wrap the bandages on your arm, she's letting you off.

With a sigh of understanding and a calm smile, Kanon replied. "Actually, you already are…"

"_Hora?_" I thought in my head. I had to admit, I really didn't expect that.

"You are already helping me by giving in to my care." she explained, allowing Daisuke and unknowingly myself, to understand. "It is impossible for someone to bear the weight on their own shoulders forever because no matter what, there are always people who would want to pitch in to help carry that weight.

"Besides, by just keeping your problems to yourself, you are giving everyone else a hard time by letting them worry about you. That is why you are helping me, by decreasing my worries."

I smile dejectedly, instantly understanding Kanon's wisdom. I couldn't help but feel like a hypocrite: I agree with what Kanon says, and yet here I am making sure nobody finds out about mine. Ie. Nobody must find out. Even if its eating me up.

I feel glad that I am mute, or everyone would be able to hear my cries when I sleep. Not that that's a bad thing, is it?

Wait, you're getting off topic here Aki. Gotta focus on this event now.

"There!" Kanon exclaimed cheerfully, making my cue to leave. I started running silently to a position that seems more like I had just started to go back to them, all the while rearranging my hat to its original position. As I walked back towards them from said position, I sneezed.

Looks like it's a good thing I got away from there, or my sneeze would have given me away.

**(-)**

I heard a sneeze coming from along our path just before seeing Aki come to us. As we walked to her, Kanon asked.

"So now it's just the Zygote, right?"

"**Actually, we're finished here. The Zygote interrupted my fight with the Kongou so we just need to go home now."** Looking at me, who is just about to ring the helicopter, Aki writes something else. **"Daisuke, daijobu sokoni?"** I could understand what she wrote since I'm part Japanese so I responded.

"I'll live," I started. "Just got singed by that Magmatic Gboro-gboro." Aki wrote something down again on that magnetic sketchpad on her wrist.

**"You look singed alright…"** I punched her playfully in the shoulder with my left, arm-bandaged hand, showing her I still got strength in that arm.

**(-)**

After the post-mission briefing, Daisuke was sent to the Sick Bay to get his burn treated, even though he quoted "it's not that serious." Well, try telling that to the doctors, and Kanon. Well, it is already evening, so I might as well get some rest. Although, I found out I was sweating in my clothes this evening, so I made a note to myself go into the Terminal for some much needed clothing to suit the weather of the Area.

Well, I guess it's time.

Oyasumi, ima no watashinojikan.

**(- 5th Chapter - END -)**

_Well, I hope you all liked the new chapter! It was absolute fun writing it all the way. Btw, I hope you notice those little references I put in. They are very obvious. In any case, just to let you know what Aki is saying...  
_

_Watashi ga setsumei suru koto ga dekimasu~! - Allow me to explain~!_

_Soshite, soreha kyokun no owari o shimeshimasu. - And that marks the end of the lesson._

_Arigato - Thanks/Thank you_

_Kusunoki - Camphor Tree (I know Aki didn't say that, but that is something I thought of translating to all of you)_

_Saa, furikiru ze! - Now, Let's Break Through!_

_Kuso! - Shit!_

_Baka! - Idiot!_

_Hora? - Huh?_

_Oyasumi, ima no watashinojikan. - Good Night, my time of now._

_On another note, the Daisuke x Kanon scene is based on this piece of Artwork my friend plainon at deviantart made.  
He titled it 'Gods Eater Burst - Rest and Respite' SO you would probably be able to find it easily. If not, then just go to his gallery since it is his most recent artwork in the making of this chapter!_

_Next chapter, we are going to meet Alisa! Let's see how the people react to her. Expect more original missions like this one to pop up in the near future..._

_P.S: Daisuke's counting in German._


	7. New Arrivals and Long-lost Memories

_Wow, how long has it been since I last updated!? Well, in any case, here's the chapter for you guys to read, and to signify that I'm still alive and writin'._

_Oh, and before you start reading, let me delve you onto some things..._

_Shijima Akina's Japanese Voice Actor: Nana Mizuki (voices Inner Moka Akashiya and Fate T. Harloawn) *Aki has a young, deep feminine voice with a cheerful tone._

_Imahara Muller Daisuke's Japanese Voice Actor: Ryuzou Ishino using Motochika's voice from Sengoku Basara..._

_Hope that's enough references for you to imagine their voices when they speak in Japanese!_

**(-)**

**God Eater Burst: Despaired Silence**

**Chapter 6**

**(- a year before Aki joined Fenrir -)**

**(-The Old City – Quiet Little Strings-)**

"_Aki-nee chan," a girl with white hair called out to me. "We have another customer."_

"_What does he need?" I hollered back from my desk._

"_The brown jacket from last time." Oh, so it's that person. I took out the brown jacket, taking in the fine work that I had done. It wasn't really much of a problem, sewing the rips and tears in the sleeves and hem. I would say it looks brand new! Well, time's a wastin' so I better head back._

"_Here's your brown jacket, sir." I handed the jacket back to him with my saleswoman smile, even though it's also a genuine smile. "I hope you can do business with us again."_

"_Thanks!" The caucasian guy said as he walked out of our store. I sighed, looking at the expanse of my little family-run tailoring shop. It ain't much, and we aren't really well known or have a lot of customers, but it runs well._

"_I take it, another successful job?" Her blue eyes lightened up when I gave her a thumbs up._

_Yup, it'll run well. As long as we're there for each other…_

…_Kofuku._

**(- a day after the Kongou and Magmatic Gboro-gboro mission-)**

**(- Rookie's Quarters -)**

I opened my eyes only to see that it's still not sunrise now, even though it's morning. I sighed. Those dreams again. I wonder why I still have them? Especially about _her._

Well, with nothing better to do, I walked up to the Terminal. I managed to unlock various choices of clothing, so I know where to go from here. I already have the hoodie, which is like my choice of clothing for winter areas. Now I just need something else to suit the weather.

Let's see, Urban War Pants and Tank Top to suit hot weather. They also make good training clothes, now that I think about it… The Tank Top would also be a good piece of clothing to wear under some other clothes.

The Blue Ninja Top seems to sit well with me, well at least the armor and scarf do. I'll just see what I can do with the rest of the fabric.

Now for casual… Well, that's gonna be a hard one. I don't know which to choose! You know what, I think I'll just stick with my Hoodie for Casual wear. Finishing my selections, I set my eyes on the mechanisms in the wall that are sending my clothes in.

I laid them openly on my bed. Before I could move to take my tailoring kit, I took a long glance at the postcards on the wall of my bedside. More specifically, the ones which Lindow had given me. I have to admit, he did a good job in keeping them in perfect condition. The San Francisco Bridge, the Eiffel Tower of Paris, Malaysian Twin Petronas Towers. He even had long extinct creatures such as the Bengal Tiger, Fennec Fox and a Snapping Turtle.

And finally, there is a postcard of Akihabara in all it's otaku glory. It is these postcards that make me wonder what it would be like to live in those times. Well, can't go delve into the past, I got work to do!

Okay, the forearm armor for the Blue Ninja outfit seems relatively durable. It might affect my movements when I carry it around, but fortunately it only occupies one arm. I tried it on, flexing my right forearm to ease its weight. It was surprisingly light, for a few metal pieces.

Next, I tried on the Urban Tank Top, letting it hug my waist and chest. Well, at least this is less constricting than underwear. I then put on the Coral Slacks just to complete the look. To finish it, I slipped on my Ocean Hoodie while slinging my satchel across my body, and I was done.

I felt a grumble reach my ears. Ah, must be my stomach again. I wonder what the cafeteria has for today…

**(- Cafeteria -)**

There was nothing much to eat in the Cafeteria. After all, they only serve stuff that's related to grains or beans. Well, once one get used to something, they might actually like it. So I opted for just some plain old porridge with some fake, soya bean based meat.

Hmm, they must have a good chef to make something this tasty, or is that is just me? I looked up at the clock, showing it as 8 am. Well, I guess that's to be expected since I usually am a morning person. With nothing better to do, I decided to hang around in the lobby until then.

**(- 1 Hour Later -)**

**(- Entrance -)**

Finally, the lobby got filled. Just as I was about to get up, I saw Soma coming out of the lift. Hmm, looks like something's bugging him more than usual. Let's see what good ol' Aki has to do about that… He starts to say something as I walk up to him.

"…Hey New-type–" I flicked him across the forehead. "AH! What the heck was that for!?"

I angrily write down on my magnetic sketchboard before showing it to him with a pout on my face. **"First off, call people by their names. And second, it's A-KI-NA! Got it memorised?"**

"Fine then, 'Aki' (that's what eveyone calls you anyway)," I ignored what he said and just listened to what he has to say. "…forget it. Have you ever felt someone's presence around the Old Office Ruins?"

Well, if he is talking about other humans then… Nope, nobody so far. I shook my head.

"I see, nevermind then. Maybe I'll just hand it over to the Research Unit." Yeah, you go do that… Meanwhile, I'll just check on Hibari…

"Oh! Good Morning!" Well, looks like someone's in a good, receptionist mood today. Hmm, maybe…

"**Have you talked to Soma?" **I 'asked'. **"He said something about a human-esque figure in the Old Ruins?"** She thought for a while before coming up with an answer.

"Well, the figure in Soma's comm records is troubling. Apparently, that part of the ruins is a dangerous, off-limits area…" she mused before perking her head up. "Oh! Lindow was just looking for you! I think he's back in his room right now!" He's looking for me? Now that I think about it, why didn't he just wake me up an hour ago? Oh well, knowing him he probably didn't want to disturb me.

Well, it's off to see what the Commander wants!

**(- Veteran's Quarters – Lindow's Room -)**

I knocked on the door, hearing a call of 'Come in!' from Lindow. Opening the door, I played my Audio Recorder again.

"Sorry for the intrusion!" it sounded.

"Ah, no need for manners. You're always welcome here!" Lindow replied casually. "And also, sorry for not waking you up earlier, you looked like you haven't slept a wink." I waved my hand, indicating that it was no big deal. Lindow smiled at the gesture, before suddenly changing to a frown. What's wrong Lindow? This isn't like you…

"**Is something wrong?"** I hesitantly wrote on my board.

"Oh no, it's nothing…" he said. "Though, I would like to ask you a favour…

"A new God Eater will be assigned to this branch soon. Probably another New-Type God Arc user. I can't prove it, but the Director seems to be gathering New-Type God Eaters to the Far East Branch. Which brings to me my request, if he ever says anything about that to you, could you let me know?

"…Sure I could ask him myself, but I just find it hard to talk to that guy. Only if you feel like it. If it's confidential, you don't need to reveal it, but I'll give you a reward for that." Wow, he seems to have quite a lot on his mind for actually asking me this. Don't worry though, I'll make sure to uphold it.

"**Well, on the lighter side… Nice crib." **I wrote, just to dispel the heavy atmosphere. It's just not good for Lindow and myself.

"Really? Well, I have to say, it does speak my own style." He replied as we looked into the expanse which is known as Lindow's Room. "Oh yeah, I forgot I designed it…" I 'laughed' as we conversed for a few minutes. I have to say this again, really like this guy. Looking back, I definitely can't think of anyone else who would become my Commanding Officer.

"Before you go," he started saying as he took out more of those postcards again. "I would like to give you these." I took them into my care like as if they would shatter on contact with the floor.

"**You know, you don't have to do this."** I started writing.

"If I don't have to, then I want to." He replied with that casual tone again. "And there's nothing you can do to stop me!" I 'laughed' again as I got out of his room and into my own room to put these postcards on the wall.

Wow, he even got for me the Floating Market of Bangkok! I always wanted one of these…

**(- Entrance -)**

I wonder if anyone has seen Aki yet? Tsubaki called us for something important. From what I could gather, it's about a new member that's gonna join us.

Lindow came out again, taking his normal seat in the middle of the couch/sofa (can never tell the difference between those). Deciding to go and check up on my Terminal, I overheard a gossip between Licca and some other person.

"Did you hear? They're assigning another New-Type."

"Oh? That's news to me. There's been a flood of New-Types lately, huh?"

"I hear the Director brought her over himself, from the Russian Branch."

"Hey speak of the devil." Hmph, _'teufel genannt'_, funny they mention his name in a place like this… "Here she comes!" …wait, what?

The elevator opened and out revealed Tsubaki along with a young girl with a red hat, black gloves, a black vest that covered her chest area as well as a red skirt with black stockings and boots.

"Well, it seems an angel came in his place." I couldn't help but think after hearing that private conversation back there. …Hold on, why is it that even in a post-apocalyptic world like this there are females who are well developed and showing off their skin?

I shook my head from such thoughts, they seem more like ones Aki would think about.

**(- Rookie's Quarters – Akina's Room -)**

I sneezed. Huh, someone's probably thinking about me again. Either that, or note to self, dust this place. Well time's a wastin', I got to put these postcards up.

**(- Entrance -)**

"I have an introduction to make," Tsubaki announced as we all stood at attention, with respective stances. "This is a New-Type recruit: she'll be joining your ranks as of today." We all looked towards the new girl.

"Ochenʹ priyatno. My name is Alisa Illinichina Amiella. As of 1200 hours today, I have been transferred here from the Russian Branch." Alisa introduced herself.

"Hey girls are more welcome here anytime!" I facepalmed, along with Soma. Seriously Kota, are you THAT romantically challenged?

"I'm amazed that you have survived so long around here with that frivolous attitude…" As expected, she is not amused.

"Huh?" Okay, now I'm seriously need to wonder why I'm with this guy…

Tsubaki continued from where we left off. "She doesn't have that much experience in actual combat, but her scores in the simulated battle were quite stellar. You'd better train hard, or she'll soon surpass you."

"Y-yes, ma'am." Kota answered.

"Alisa, I want you to serve under Lindow's position, understood?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Lindow, I need to hand over some documents to you, so come with me. The rest of you all can go back to your quarters. That is all." She started walking before she suddenly paused just as the Elevator doors opened. "Hold it, where's A-"

Aki ran past us before reaching Alisa and grabbing her by the shoulders. We were all shocked by this, but as I shook it off, I saw Aki with yellow eyes a mixture of worry, concern, sadness and, most prominently, relief. She even seemed to have forgotten her lack of voice as she started to move her mouth, but is unaware that she isn't saying anything.

As she started to hug Alisa, she seemed to have reached her breaking point.

"Kto vy !? OTPUSTI MENYA !" Alisa shouted in Russian as she pushed Aki away. Just at that point, Aki's eyes turned back to her usual green and she looked around. From her eyes, she looked scared, ashamed, and heavily burdened with sorrow. Looking towards the Den Gate, she entered the lift and went up into the God Arc Armory.

"Wh-who was that?" Alisa asked.

"That… was Aki," Lindow spoke, a concerned frown gracing his features. "(Though I didn't imagine it would be this bad)" I caught the last parts of his internal monologue. Just what did he mean by that? Moreover, Aki, what happened to you?

**(- Inside the Den Gate Lift -)**

No. No. No no no no NO! I banged my forehead against the metal of the lift, not caring whether I receive a head concussion or not. Damn it, just damn it all. It's just like with Gina, why is it always the white-haired girls!? DAMN IT!

Of all the things that could remind me so much of her, it's the hair that looks like snow. Why Kofuku, why…

No, thinking about you won't do me any good, I guess I'll just go to my God Arc and just calm myself down, if I can.

**(- God Arc Armory -)**

Walking towards my God Arc, I decided to just massage it the way Licca taught me. For some reason, though, I just couldn't get the calming sensation tht usually occurs when I do this. I guess I do have a lot on my mind, huh.

I smiled peacefully, not a care in the world, even though I know that everything is not okay. But I didn't give a shit about it, I just wanted to have some peace. Maybe if I talk with my God Arc? Ie, what was I thinking? But, no harm in doing it, my life is already effed up as it is right now.

Ne, God Ar- Ie, I shouldn't call you that. I should give you a name, but I think it would be better if I got to know yours. What do you call yourself, huh? …you know what? I think I'll just call you Hubert just for the heck of it. Anyways, Hubert, my life is so messed up, yet for some reason, I'm okay with it. Though, you must have already known that that's not true. After all, I can ignore it and just run away all I want but it'll still keep coming back, just like a Shadow Self. Maybe I should talk about my past…

My name is actually Shijima Kitai, Akina was merely a nickname or alias I had made for myself. But just as a pet name, my little sister Kofuku calls me Aki-nee-chan because it was cute. During the days when the old city was thriving with refugees, I used to earn a living at a tailoring shop called the Quiet Little Strings.

We aren't very well known and neither do we get much customers, but we managed to hold our business up very well. My little sister's the cute receptionist while I am the one who manages the store as well as create or repair new clothes. Our tailoring shop was also our home. It didn't look like much, but it had everything we needed. I relished our time together, especially when we are either working or playing. Though, in our line of work, it was usually a mixture of both.

No matter what happened, though, the only thing that I cared the most about in the world is Kofuku. Little else mattered, and when they do it is usually for things that concern her, major or minor.

If- if only I could go back to those times. Then maybe, maybe I could- maybe I could spend one last time with her. Spend our last moments together. Anything. Anything before her-!

Wha- what's this? Someone's… hugging me? I don't know why but, it feels… embracing… Comforting… Reassuring… When was… the last time… I felt like this? Was it… when I was with… Kofuku? I.. I don't… remember... But I… feel… warm…

**(- a few minutes later -)**

Lindow arrived at the Armory, expecting Aki to be full of sadness. However, much to his surprise, he found her lying down by her God Arc. Normally, he would just leave the girl alone, but a thoughtful person like him would already take note that the Armory is not a preferred place for someone to rest their worries away in.

Being careful as to not wake Aki, Lindow carried her bridal style. He could already tell how jealous Sakuya would get if she ever saw him like this.

'Ah, she would understand and calm down quickly anyway…' he thought, shrugging off the worry. As her went into the lift, he can't help but wonder. Usually it would take quite a while for a person like Akina here to calm down from their ordeal. Lindow narrowed his eyes at the memory before going back to his usual look and back to his pondering. For Akina to calm down in just a few minutes by herself is impossible, unless someone were there to somehow calm her down.

He marked that out too. Nobody was on a mission and neither was anyone in the Armory at the time. So how is Aki in her present, calm state of mind?

Lindow shrugged off the thoughts, they didn't matter. As long as she is resting, then that's okay. Still, he could not help but show concern for Aki's mental condition.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD for short. That was what he read in her file. Something must have gone wrong in Aki's past, but being the person he is, he is not going to pry. In any case, Lindow thought as he lay Aki onto her bed, right next to the postcards that decorate her wall, the only thing anyone can do is wait.

As acceptable an action it is, that does not change how painful it is to see her suffer.

'_Well,'_ he thought. _'Time to check up on the new girl and explain the situation to her…'_

**(- Akina's Room – Ten minutes later -)**

I woke up taking in the sight of my room's ceiling. It was featureless, yet I could make out a desert there. Wow, I must be really bored to actually imagine that out of my head. Or, I'm using that as an excuse to forget what happened just now.

'_Probably the latter,' _I thought. _'Well, I guess I'm currently deemed incapable of going on that Chi-You Mission…'_ Though, since I have calmed down though, maybe they would allow me a mission? That idea was soon shot down as I remembered that little incident.

I passed the time by looking at the Terminal for some other stuff. However, as I did so, I couldn't help but glance at today's date. November 16th; I can't believe I forgot to prepare for today! Though, that would involve going out into the Old City, which usually requires a mission to do so… And with today's incident, others might probably not be in the correct mind to do so. Looking around, I chuckled to myself. Well, going out looks better than being cooped up in here moping. I guess I'll just gather up my stuff…

**(- five minutes later -)**

**(- Clothing: Ocean Hoodie – Coral Slacks -)**

It's interesting to note how one little mishap can change everyone's perspective of you, also known as the Butterfly Effect. The best things you could do about that is to either reassure everyone that you are not like that, lie and say that you're fine, or just ignore it. Now, I am a truthful, honest girl, I simply chose to leave out some parts of my life…

Thus the reason why I went with the decision to ignore the subtle stares that are boring into my whole being right now. I bet they're all staring at that smile on my face, and I can understand that. I mean, what kind of person would simply just smile after they had just done something that would question their own sanity? Well, there's your answer, and I'm trying to hide that.

Darn, even Hibari thinks there's something wrong with me. No need to panic Aki, just act ignorantly, like you have forgotten everything…

"**Hey Hibari!"** I caught her attention with my writing. **"Are there any available missions at the Old City?"**

"Aki! W-well," She looks hesitant when she looks into the available mission files. "Yes. There are two Zygotes and two Ogretails that need to be cleaned up at the Old City. Since they are weak Aragami, this should be a quick mission for you..." Suddenly, she looks towards me then whispers to me.

"You're not thinking of actually going on that mission alone, are you?" she inquired in a soft voice that could only be heard by the both of us. With a serious expression, one that I rarely use nowadays, I nodded.

"…okay then, but be careful out there. And come back when you're done, Aragami are paricularly active at night." I could tell that she was worried for me, as are all the others. Sorry Hibari, but today I'm gonna be a little late.

**(- Infernal Subway, around the same time as Aki's awakening -)**

**(- Play God Eater OST: No Way Back -)**

Here I am with my God Arc in this abandoned Train Track fighting a Chi-You with Kota, Soma and Sakuya. Well, one would think that with my level of skill to accompany my God Eater abilities, a Chi-You wouldn't be a hard Aragami to defeat. Well, they would be instantly wrong when they're in my predicament.

'_HOW! HARD! IS! THIS! THING!?'_ I screamed every single word per hit silently.

Really, I think I performed a various multitude of combos on this guy, and there's not even a scratch on its hide. As the Chi-You was about to move in for a Double Claw Swipe, I leapt out of the way, changing to Gun Mode to fire Cross Grenades while Sakuya shoots out bullets of her own against the enemy. Wanting to be rid of us, the Chi-You swooped in for a kill, just like a bird-of-prey. Instead of following Sakuya by rolling out of the way, I recklessly jumped up and grabbed onto the Chi-You's head.

With that done, I punched at its face to temporarily blind it. I then leapt off after activating a Snare Trap onto the beast, Holding it down onto the ground. Chaning back to my blade, I rushed at it with a series of combos followed by Soma's Crush attacks and shots from Kota's and Sakuya's gun. Looking for advice, I asked Soma why this thing is so hard.

Instead, he gives me advice. "Your God Arc has a short blade, so try and stab it to break the armor. Chi-Yous are weak to pierce attacks afterall." Well, at least I've got a vague idea on how to beat it. Just as the Aragami shakes off the effects of Snare Trap, I launched a Quick Devour on its knees, dragging the serrated edges of my God Arc's Beast Form to shred the cells.

That seemed to have done the trick because now it is on all fours. Nodding to the rest of the group, we did an All Out Attack (a term Aki used for the our battle formation when Aragami are down like this) on the downed Chi-You. However, the Chi-You was harder than we had thought and had already gotten up before flying away from the group, knocking into Kota in the process. The Aragami then proceeded to run away ON THE LAVA to another part of the subway, thus we lost contact.

**(- stop song -)**

We decided to regroup and treat any sustained injuries before we start to chase after the Aragami. As we did so, we heard Kota speak.

"Darn, thinking about what happened at the Den, I can't get it off my mind…" Here it comes. "What's with Aki?" The rest of us stayed silent as we couldn't think of another word.

I decided to break the silence. "Aki's Aki. I'm sure there's a reason for her to act like that. And what's more, it isn't our duty to pry into her past." I thought I heard Soma huff at that.

"Yes, right now, we just need to focus on the Aragami at hand. We can go back to Aki later." Sakuya advised us, agreeing with my views. Still, I could tell that we were all thinking of Aki's well being right now.

As we exited what looks like a cave made of Oracle Cells, we found ourselves on a circular ring-like platform of Oracle Cells floating on the molten lava. On the other side was the Chi-You, now feasting on some Salvageable Materials.

"Ready when you are," Sakuya whispered to us. Noticing our current distance from the Aragami, I gestured to Soma to follow me while stationing Kota and Sakuya by the pool of lava at the centre of the ring, ready to fire on my signal. Moving closer, I told Soma to prepare his Crush Attack, only releasing it when I shout his name.

As I stalked ever so closer to the Chi-You, I jumped onto the back of the Chi-You's neck, stabbing its body a couple of times with my Calvary blade before using Quick Devour onto its flailing and exposed right arm. Using that as an anchor, I held the Beast Form there while I leapt to the right side of the Chi-You.

"SOMA!" At the command, Soma released his Crush Attack and dropped the whole Buster Blade onto the Chi-You's left arm, the immense impact anchoring its left arm to the ground under his God Arc with a loud crunch.

"Now! Pull it to the left! ERAAAAAAAAGGGHHH!" I screamed as we both pulled at our God Arcs, disloding them from the Chi-You's arms. The sound of hard stone breaking indicated to all of us that my plan worked, and the Chi-You's Arm Wings are now broken.

The signal finally came when the Chi-You became enraged and turned to face us just as I went into Burst Mode.

**(- play Wild War Dance -)**

"FIRE AWAY!" I shouted to Kota and Sakuya, letting them engage the Aragami from afar. The Sunder Bullets they were now using homed in to the Chi-You's head, wear after a short, quick barrage it roared in pain before covering its face with what little remained of its right wing. It then launched a ball of energy into the air from its free palm to get rid of the shooters, whom the ball of energy was aimed at.

While slashing at its lower body, I could see Kota getting hit by the energy ball while Sakuya immediately launched a Recovery Bullet at Kota, healing his injuries. The Chi-You, now enraged, tried to swipe at us, only to meet my shield that blocked me from its sharp claws. Before I could move in for a counterattack, an energy blast from under the Chi-You caught me and Soma and sent us into the air before we crashed onto the ground.

Fortunately, that attack had left the Chi-You vulnerable and gave both me and Soma enough time to Devour the Aragami. Using this opportunity, I sent a couple of A-Bullets at Kota and Sakuya to get them into a Link Burst before turning back to Blade Mode and engaging the Aragami.

"Kota! Sakuya!" I called out to them, giving them my orders. "Blind the Aragami with your bullets. Just continue aiming at its head! Soma and I will continue our assault." Receiving their orders, Kota and Sakuya continued to fire away at the Chi-You, the Aragami staggering back at the continuous shots to its face. Meanwhile, Soma and I continuously slashed at the Aragami, with Soma making a few Crush attacks in between. Just as the Chi-You was about to charge the energy at its hands, the continuous shooting assault by Kota and Sakuya broke its head. That was the moment I was waiting for.

Launching a Stun Grenade, I rushed towards the Aragami, walking along its body before jumping off its broken face. Seeing the Aragami dazed, I unleashed Beast Form down the half of the Aragami, bisecting it symmetrically while also Devouring its Core in the process.

**(- stop song -)**

"Well, that takes care of everything," I thought while also retrieving the Salvageable Material to see if it yields any good items. Especially since I picked up a Medical Kit B, which would probably give me a few Restore Pills…

As we got to prepare for team extraction, I could tell that despite our efforts to pay attention, we were all still shaken by what had happened. Even now, as we went onto the chopper, I could only feel concerned about Aki's well being.

**(- Old City – Around the same time Daisuke returned to the Den -)**

**(- Equipment: Kusunoki Nodachi – Quick Buckler II – Ibaraki Bow N II -)**

An old master of mine once taught me that one of the ways of achieving short/long-term peace within oneself is through meditation. Although it does not bring me such peaceful feelings, I find that meditation does help to calm your nerves.

Especially when you are heavily burdened with sorrow like I am.

Still, it can't be harmful to at least try. I keep thinking back to good times. The times when I worked at the Quiet Little Strings, the time when I first met my fellow God Eaters, the time when I caught a good 'Social Link Go!' mo-

***SHINK***

Dammit. Of all the things to distract me, it had to be an Ogretail. Well, I suppose I am on a mission and was supposed to be concentrated on these things. But since this is the last Ogretail I need to kill, while also including the other two Zygotes (of which I have devoured their Cores) I guess I'm done here.

Mission-wise.

I say so, because as far as I'm concerned, I'm not done yet. After all, there's somewhere I need to go first.

After walking among the bodies of the Ogretails and Zygotes, I came across a 'cliffside' of sorts. There is just a little part of the building left after most of it had 'sunken' into the ground due to the Aragami attack. But, I knew this place, this building.

Below this 'cliffside', there lies my home. A home which I have come to treasure even though it is no longer inhabitable, technically speaking. Still, I had come across this during one of my missions, and was shocked by what I had glanced at.

Stabbing Hubert into the cliffside, I waited for a few moments before jumping onto Hubert, my right foot on the handle and my left foot on the base of my Nodachi. With the Blade now lodged into the cliffside, my weight and pressure exerted on the God Arc creates a makeshift board to slide along the cliffside. It was a 14 metre drop, but with my God Arc and God Eater abilities, this was like folding an origami frog!

As we reached the bottom, I crouched onto Hubert and grabbed the handle with both hands. Just as we were about to crash, I jumped up with Hubert in tow, somersaulting in the air before landing on the ground with a soft thump. The area here still seems barren, unless one knew where to look.

Approaching the remains of a fallen road, I went through the ruins of the previous Aragami Attack. Over the shattered crate, under the fallen streetlamp, cross quickly over a girder, then finally crawl through a broken off wall's window. Finally, I could see it.

Amidst the ruins lay the very place Kofuku and I used to live in. The Quiet Little Strings. Even though everywhere around me is decimated and destroyed, this place still remained intact for some odd reason. I guess it might be related to how it had been sheltered by the wreckage around it, as well as within the ruins of a few fallen office buildings…

Stepping closer to the door, I felt my heart race as a wave of nostalgia overcame me. I admit, I'm afraid of coming back here, but nevertheless, this is something I have to do. With that, I turned the knob of the door. As I stepped inside, I decided to just forget the fact that I am mute and just imagine myself talking.

"_Tadaima! Sorry that I'm late, but some stuff came up."_ I hollered as I took off my shoes before entering the house. _"Also, I got a new job! I'm a God Eater now! I know it sounds like a very strange job to take up, even for me, but it pays well. I made a lot of friends there too!"_

Reaching the desk, I dragged my bare right hand across the dusty old wood. I still remember the times when Kofuku was the receptionist. The way her joyfully welcoming expression would attract the customers as they come to shop for new clothes or get their old, worn ones mended. Nevertheless, we both enjoyed our humble business here.

I shook my head, relieving myself of my reminiscing. Moving to the upper floor, I could see below the three years worth of dust collection, my sewing room. The sewing equipment was still there, though some of them like the rusted needles would be considered unsuitable since they would not only ruin the fabric, you would probably get an infection from being pricked by one of these.

The chair which I sit on while working on top of the sewing desk was still standing firm, though I'm not taking any chances on sitting on it as far as I'm concerned.

Well, I wasted enough time here already, I thought as I gazed into the orange-blue sky, captivated by its beauty. Strange, no matter how wrong this world gets, the sky always remains the same no matter how you look at it.

Going down the stairs, I opened the door to the only room other than the kitchen. I was surprised by how untouched and clean this room is even though it has been years since I last stepped into this house. Then again, one would wonder why a fully intact house like this still isn't as destroyed and wrecked like all the other buildings around here, but I never bothered. Laying Hubert onto the ground, I proceeded into the room, coming to the bed where Kofuku's things are. Her writing materials, the light novel which she never got the chance to read, a stuffed kitsune toy, and finally her-

I gazed at the picture longingly, smiling sadly at it. With that, I took off my hat and the hairtie putting my hair in a bun. As my hair flowed gently to the top half of my back, I couldn't help but laugh a bit.

"_Well, Kofuku."_I said, blushing slightly._"You always loved my hair down. I still don't know how it makes me look better, but since it's for you, I would bear growing it out."_ I smiled as I said that. Looking away from whatever I was looking at, I prepared for my next words. Even now, I still feel myself grow heavy with emotion about Kofuku, especially in her current state. Steeling myself, I moved my eyes towards the framed photograph of Kofuku's smiling face, with her pale skin, short white hair and bright red eyes that gazed joyfully.

Smiling as happily as I can while my tearful eyes betrayed my cheerful expression, I spoke softly.

"_Tadaima, Kofuku. Tadaima, Imoto."_In the end, I couldn't take it anymore. I simply let my tears fall onto the ground._"If only… I could hug you again… one last time…"_I then closed my eyes, letting out cries of sorrow as I remembered the words I myself had written on the picture before I left three years ago.

"**Here lies Kofuku. My beloved little Treasure."**

**(- Anagura – Entrance -)**

"What? What do you mean she's gone?" Was the first thing out of my mouth during post-briefing. Why would Aki be out when she was supposed to be under observation?

"I know it doesn't sound right, but knowing her, she would probably want to be alone right now." Now that does not make any sense, even coming from a casual leader like Lindow. In her state, who knows what Aki's mental instability would do to her.

"Even so, there's no way we should just leave her on a mission like this. Even on an easy mission with weak Aragami." Sakuya interjected.

"Yup, especially when said mission should have been finished quickly for someone of her skill." Lindow agreed, nodding his head. "Which is why we shall proceed with our new mission: Retrieving Shijima Akina back from the Old City." Well, at least that shut down any argument we're going to have…

Tsubaki, who was standing beside Lindow, walked closer to us for Briefing. "On this mission, we'll be sending in two people. Daisuke, since you have already spent most of your stamina during the previous mission, you will not be participating. And neither will Kota since he has sustained injuries during the previous mission as well. The two people which shall be sent to retrieve Akina will be Alisa and Sakuya."_ Warten Sie, was?_

"Woah woah, hold on right there!" I shouted, opposed to the idea.

"You saw how Aki acted with Alisa, how could you be so sure she would not react like that again?"

All I got was a reply of indifference from Tsubaki. "As much as I oppose it, a God Eater like Akina should always work together with anyone in her Squad, regardless of any reactions she may have to them. The same would have to go for Alisa. If I don't send her in, neither party would learn anything from this."

"Then at least send in another God Eater!" I retorted.

"I would if I could, however," Tsubaki countered, keeping her cool voice that's starting to get on my nerves. "We currently have two rookie God Eaters who are not fit to go on another mission. And while Soma and Lindow would prove invaluable to the success of this mission, neither of them would help Akina overcome her problems. That she would have to do herself."

"But there still has to be someone!" I inquired, until a voice I never expected came up.

"Then how about me?" Eric walked right up to us, already healed of his injuries. "I owe the damsel in distress that much for saving my life, as well as reminding me of what I'm fighting for.

"Besides, I should at least get to know the rest of the members in my Squad better." There he goes again, now implying at Alisa. At least Kota's more bearable when it comes to this.

"Fine then; Eric der Vogelweid shall be accompanying Alisa and Sakuya on retrieving Shijima Akina. As Aragami are particularly active at night, it is recommended that you find Akina by dusk, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes ma'am," We saluted in unison before returning to our rooms while Tsubaki went to retrieve Alisa. I could already tell how opposed Alisa would be to the idea of even looking for someone who ruined her first day in the Far East Branch.

**(- Old City – Quiet Little Strings -)**

I opened my eyes to see myself lying on my side, right in Kofuku's personal graveyard. I guess I must have fallen asleep while I was crying. Well, an old master of mine did tell me that to relieve oneself of their pent up emotions, they must let it all out at once.

"_**If you are afraid to let them out in front of others,"**_ I recalled his words. _**"Then that's okay. Just do so in secret…"**_ Ah, I still can't recall the old geezer's name, but I do treasure his words of wisdom. Getting back up, I realised that I suddenly feel lighter, like all of my sorrow has been washed away. Well, I guess I know where to go to if I ever want to be away from Fenrir for a while…

"_In any case, arigato, Kofuku, for letting me stay…"_ I thanked my sister, bowing towards her smiling picture. Her face still brings back countless memories, and for now, I have no desire to push them away. Opening the door, I was bathed in bright orange light. Wow, I must have slept that long, huh? I guess they would have sent in an extraction team by now…

With no time to lose, I walked outside, turning to close the door behind me. Even as I held the knob of the door, I felt myself become lost in the long-past memories this place had to offer. Smiling to myself, I shut the door quietly, closing my eyes as I sank myself into nostalgic bliss.

However, said feeling was shattered when I heard heavy footsteps behind me. Darn, I didn't think they would actually find this place… Turning my body to face the intruder, I found myself staring into a scorpion-like Aragami that resembled a European knight.

Borg Camlann. A European metallic, exo-skeletal Aragami with a face-like shield and lance-like stinger. Usually attacks by knocking their enemies off balance before finishing them, just like the European Knights of the Medieval Ages. Namesake comes from the Legend of King Arthur, whose last battle was at the Battle of Camlann…

Well, normally I would let this be a test of strength between a Samurai and a Knight…

"_However,"_ I thought as I unsheathed Hubert, coming into a standard left-handed kenjutsu stance and pointing my kissaki towards the opponent. _"You're trespassing on my home. Now you shall die along with the secrets you have discovered."_

**(- play Heaven in the Hell by Nana Mizuki -)**

I moved my lips to make a nice smirk, just enough to taunt the Aragami. Expectedly catching the bait, I jumped over it just as it 'pounced' onto where I stood. With a huge downwards sweep, I slashed with my Nodachi at its back just before I landed on the ground. I smiled softly as I heard the Borg Camlann 'gasp' as part of its 'hair' was shorn off. Standing straight with my back turned as I gazed daringly at its form, I could feel my eyes glow yellow in the shadows.

Roaring in rage, the Borg Camlann laid its body down and rained down spiky missiles onto me from its back. Moving quickly, I rolled over to the side, dodging the flying needles that homed in to me. Seeing it launch the same missiles again, I readied my sword and slashed away the spikes just as they came crashing down onto me once more. The Borg Camlann then thrusted its stinger into my face, only for me to lean towards the side and bash it away with Quick Buckler II.

Dashing quickly towards the Aragami, I twisted around just in time to nick the Borg Camlann in the legs. Only enough to dent its armor. The Aragami, irritated by this pest (me), used its huge Needle to send shockwaves across the ground. As there was no time for dodging, I blocked all the shockwaves with my shield. And then, with one huge thrust, the Borg Camlann struck its Needle into the ground in front of me, only to find it lodged into the ground.

"_Well, maybe I can help with that…"_ I thought slyly. Dashing forward, I Impulse Edged its Needle three times to damage it before holding the Needle with my Beast Form while gaining Burst Mode. Just as planned, the sudden dislodging of the Needle had launched me upwards along with Hubert as I held onto its tail. Letting go, I let myself plummet onto the Borg Camlann's back before plunging my blade from the back of the Aragami to its Mouth. Retracting my blade, I leapt off the Borg Camlann and rolled on the ground as I land. Looking back to the Borg Camlann, becoming enraged once more, I readied my stance again.

As it was about to send shockwaves again, I jumped up and slashed the Needle away three times from the ground. With the Aragami making one final thrust, I unleashed Beast Form just before it could pierce my torso. Heaving with all my might, I used the Aragami's Tail as a chain for me to pull up into the air, making one huge swing before crashing it into the ground in front of me, away from the Quiet Little Strings behind me.

Not wanting this battle to damage my former home, I dashed forward towards it to see the Borg Camlann getting up. It then did a strange stance before it twisted its tail around like a knife on a rope, hoping to catch me within its slash radius. Not wasting any time, I further tightened my already strong grip on Hubert before swinging my Nodachi to the side, making it come into contact with the Needle. Because of the immense strength behind both the blade and the grip, half of the Needle broke off from the Tail. Using this opportunity, I grabbed the flying Needle with my Beast Form before throwing it towards the Borg Camlann like a javelin.

The desired effect, the broken half of the Needle plunging into the Borg Camlann's mouth and sticking out the other end, leaving the Borg Camlann to writhe in pain. Stopping its screams, the Borg Camlann activated its shield, its angry eyes staring into mine. Charging towards me I twisted around the Aragami and performed a series of kenjutsu slashes at the back of the Borg Camlann's Tail. The pain brought from this made the Borg Camlann break its previous stance and stand up on its hind legs in pain.

As it turned around to face me, I switched to Ibaraki Bow N II, launching Blaze Bullets into its mouth. Not having any of it, the Aragami thrusted its Needle towards me, only for me to backflip away from it and switch to Blade Mode. As the Borg Camlann moved to Shield itself, I leapt towards the Aragami and stabbed my Nodachi down the middle of its Shield just as it closed. Squeezing the trigger, I let out a multitude of Impulse Edges onto the Shield, already seeing the Oracle Cells on it bubbling up before finally becoming blasted away for me to see the Borg Camlann's face through its Shield. With one last squeeze of the trigger, I blasted its face and jumped away, blinding the Borg Camlann momentarily.

"_I'm not through with you yet…"_ I thought as it became enraged. Twisting my Nodachi to the side, I sprinted forward before letting loose a slash from either side of me as I went under the Borg Camlann's Legs, breaking them and making it lose its balance before crashing behind me. Deciding to be quick with this Aragami, I switched to Ibaraki Bow N II and let loose a series of Spread Needle A-Bullets, the Needles exploding and breaking the Borg Camlann's Tail.

I suddenly found myself gazing longingly at the Quiet Little Strings, how it has been a home for me and Kofuku all this time. I guess it's true then; people will always come back to their place of Origin no matter what. Remembering the many memories I have shared with my late sister, as well as my fellow God Eaters, I figured that maybe it's about time I moved on from my mourning. _"Unfortunately,"_ I thought, noticing the Borg Camlann getting up. _"I'm still too afraid to move on. So I'll just stick with what I have. Oh, and I should probably go apologise to Alisa after this."_

Before the Borg Camlann could become enraged, I let loose a fury of slashes at it. The Nodachi already widening the cuts in the Borg Camlann's worn out armor. As it tried to stab me with what remained of its Needle, I sliced off the Tail before slicing off its left front Legs to bring it down. During those slashes, I cleaved open its shield before making a huge gash on the Borg Camlann's face, making it roar in pain.

Immediately, focusing all of my strength, speed, technique and being into my blade, I performed one final sweep right across the Borg Camlann, causing a vacuum in the air behind my blade. As the air whistled back into the vacuum, I felt the Borg Camlann's body becoming bisected along the path of my blade before dropping onto the ground. Moving my eyes to the Aragami Core now resting on the sharp edge of my blade, I unleashed Beast Mode with a flick of my wrist, Quick Devouring it before coming back to Blade Mode.

**(- stop song -)**

Looking up into the sky as the remains of the Borg Camlann decompose and seep into the ground, I couldn't help but smile, thinking that today must be a good day. After all, for something bad to happen, something equally good must happen as well. That is one of the Principles I live by. Staring back at the Quiet Little Strings, my smile turned into one of sorrow as I noticed that I would be leaving my home again.

I self-steeled and assured myself, becoming reminded that there are still people that I need to go back to. After all, I did make that ask Licca to make that promise, not to mention there are people who I need to ask forgiveness from. It was so overwhelming, I couldn't help but laugh joyfully as I took notice of the bad deeds I need to atone for. Well Kitai, now's not the time to stand around. You need to go back up.

"_After all,"_ I thought knowingly. _"They're probably looking for me right now…"_ I decided to head towards another cliff face that had bits of rubble which could be used as makeshift 'stairs'. Not to mention, after seeing the dimming sky, it's going to be a long climb.

**(- Old City – Just after the Borg Camlann's defeat -)**

"Sakuya, I still don't understand why a girl like her is in the Far East Branch." Alisa inquired, still not accepting of the situation.

"Well, believe me when I say this." Sakuya answered as they searched for Akina. "Aki has never acted this way as far as I'm concerned. Sure she has more quirks than anyone else in the Far East Branch combined, but it is through those that she got to bond with all the others. You should see her own self-explanation on the Ouroboros!

"Still, the fact that she acted the way she did is disconcerting. Afterall, she has always been obvious with her honest and bubbly cheerful character. But thinking back to it, I think she might have been hiding her true feelings all this time."

Eric, who overheard the conversation, decided to step in. "I have to say, I agree wholeheartedly with that sentence. And it should already be obvious that Akina is not the only person hiding their true emotions and goals around here, as well as their pasts. The best conclusion I can draw is that she's scared, just like the rest. I won't be surprised if Akina's case would actually be considered a normality among God Eaters. After all, such things are not uncommon in a post-apcalyptic world like this…"

Suddenly, Alisa felt embarrassed by what she had said. Although it is still shaken by Akina's reaction to her, by stopping to look at the situation from Akina's point-of-view, Alisa would daresay that they are both alike. In fact, thinking back to that tear-filled gaze, she knew those eyes all too well. That was because she has those eyes herself: the eyes of someone who has lost their loved ones right before them, and couldn't do a thing about it.

Shaking her head out of such thoughts, Alisa commented. "Hey, it's getting dark, I don't think we're going to find Akina at this rate."

"But we have to keep trying!" Eric retorted. "After all, it's part of my Noblesse Oblige to rescue any Damsel in Distress from the throngs of Danger! If I fail that, then I would rather drag myself into some corner of the deepest depths of darkness and-"

Suddenly, a loud noticeable noise similar to that of flatulence sounded out throughout the group, breaking their concentration. Turning to look at the source of the interruption, the group finds Akina withdrawing her right hand from her mouth and grinning.

"Akina-hime!" Eric exclaimed as he ran towards Aki. "I may have to berate you for that interruption, but it is such a pleasure to see you a-" However, that was all he could say as Aki plunged her right thumb into Eric's neck, leaving Alisa and Sakuya to stare in surprise as Eric dropped to the floor, grabbing his neck in pain as he laughed along the way.

"**Well, I guess you found me!"** Aki wrote. **"And I'm sorry for not coming back shortly after my mission's completed."**

"**I guess I have been asking for so much alone time that I lost track of it."** She further emphasised her embarassment with a giggle, only for it to sound like a snicker.

"_Vy durak!"_ Alisa shouted in Russian before switching to English. "Even an idiot would know that they shouldn't spend too long in places like this!"

"_Gomenasai, de arimasu."_ Alisa heard a monotonous feminine voice being heard from Aki. Opening her eyes, she found a bowing Akina with her God Arc stabbed into the ground and holding a magnetic sketchpad on her right hand and an audio recorder in her left. Getting back into a standing position, Akina wrote on the sketchpad with a serious face before showing it to her.

**"Forgive me for reacting like that back there," **she wrote, her eyes holding true to her honest words. **"As well as for worrying you. I mistook you for someone else during our first meeting and overreacted. I assure you that it will not happen again."** Before Akina could move to write again, she suddenly found herself being glomped by Alisa.

"_Baka!_ You don't have to run off like that!" she shouted into Akina's body. "I'm sorry that I pushed you away, but at least give me a chance to understand you!" She then started to pant repeatedly from her release of pent up frustration.

Honestly, Aki thought, she expected to get slapped. But for Alisa to hug her like this, suddenly she felt felt angry at herself too, yet her mental stability isn't as erratic as it was before. Not caring for a single thing, Aki hugged Alisa back, not letting her go.

"_Strange,"_ Aki couldn't help but voice out in her head. _"This feeling, when have I experienced this before?"_ Shaking off her inner monologue, she patted on Alisa's shoulder in order for her to let go. As she climbed aboard the chopper along with Alisa, Eric and Sakuya, Akina couldn't help but note today as one of the best days she had ever experienced in her life.

**(-)**

**(- BONUS CHAPTER! -)**

Once the group arived back at the Hangar, they proceeded to walk towards the lift.

"So next time Aki," Sakuya berated the God Eater in question. "Don't go off delaying your return, ESPECIALLY when you'-"

"Uhmm, what are you doing?" Alisa couldn't help but ask as she watched Aki who…

"Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiii~" Well, according to the sound of her audio recorder, Aki is checking Alisa out.

"Jiiiiiiiiiiiiiii~" she replayed her audio recorder while looking at Alisa from another angle before shifting to another position. "Jiiiiiiiiiiii~"

Suddenly, she looked at Alisa with inquisitive eyes and a thoughtful expression on her face with fingers under her chin before closing her eyes and nodding her head in agreement (with herself apparently…) Following that, she took out her sketchpad and wrote something before showing it to the group…

"**Approved!" **while further emphasising that with a 'thumbs up' gesture on her right hand and an approving grin on her face.

"Y-you were ogling me all this time!?" Alisa shouted, a slight blush on her face while Sakuya snickered in the background.

"Why am I left out of this conversation…" Eric voiced out.

**(- FIN! -)**

**(-)**

_So, what do you guys think? Pretty neat, huh? Well, in the next chapter we're gonna have another Aragami Lecture as well as some bondage with the squads! So, stay fresh!_

_Oh, and before I forget, I went to Melbourne on the 13th of November and stayed there for a few days, which gives me an inspiration! In the near future, I will be featuring a chapter where some of the characters go on a mission to post-apocalyptic Melbourne, and meet with some Australian culture as well as some Aragami fights, so stay fresh!_


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